Yiling efforts to promote development of citrus industry
2024-07-12 16:07:32
By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio
"Waste not, want not" is an adage that the citrus industry in Yichang takes to heart. At the National Modern Agriculture Industrial Park in Yiling District, advanced technology is used to transform oranges into essential oils.
"Specialized equipment pierces the orange peel to quickly release and collect high-purity essential oil, rich in nutrients, used in food and cosmetics," explained Zhang Xu, deputy general manager of Cuilin Agricultural Group Yichang Co., Ltd. This valuable essential oil is sold for nearly 400,000 yuan (US$55,017) per ton, increasing the value of citrus.
Within the park, an intelligent sorting line utilizes technology to evaluate fruit qualities such as skin color, diameter, sugar content, blemishes, and pulp damage, ensuring accurate sorting.
"Waste not, want not" is an adage that the citrus industry in Yichang takes to heart. At the National Modern Agriculture Industrial Park in Yiling District, advanced technology is used to transform oranges into essential oils.
"Specialized equipment pierces the orange peel to quickly release and collect high-purity essential oil, rich in nutrients, used in food and cosmetics," explained Zhang Xu, deputy general manager of Cuilin Agricultural Group Yichang Co., Ltd. This valuable essential oil is sold for nearly 400,000 yuan (US$55,017) per ton, increasing the value of citrus.
Within the park, an intelligent sorting line utilizes technology to evaluate fruit qualities such as skin color, diameter, sugar content, blemishes, and pulp damage, ensuring accurate sorting.
In the factory, robots carry citrus fruits on the production line. Photo by Zhang Guorong.
In Longquan Town, Yiling District, Hubei Qianhong Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.'s seedling breeding base thrives with citrus seedlings. Yichang, which previously struggled with aging trees, has been collaborating with Huazhong Agricultural University since 2013 to develop new citrus varieties.
Yi Hualin, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, provides guidance on trimming citrus seedlings.
Today, Yichang's new citrus varieties are grown nationwide. With company support, Yichang has established 20,000 mu of high-standard citrus groves, while Hubei Province has completed 100,000 mu of quality improvement.
"The company has upgraded through relocation to establish a digital breeding base and expand the entire industry chain of seed research and development, seedling breeding, digital display, experimental promotion, and leisure experience," stated Nie Hongli, general manager of the company.
In recent years, Yiling District has implemented innovative mechanisms and expanded the scale of cooperatives, thereby increasing citrus farmers' incomes.
However, cooperatives still face challenges such as poor risk resilience and difficulty in improving quality.
To address these issues, the Yiling Farmers Professional Cooperative Federation was established in 2021. Its mission is to connect new agricultural businesses with banks, guarantee companies, and insurance companies. The federation's first priority is to resolve financing obstacles for these enterprises.
With government-funded guarantees and the federation's support, loans have become more accessible. So far, banks have issued 5 billion yuan in loans.
