BEIJING: It is peak season for Nanfeng mandarins in China’s Jiangxi province, with this year’s harvest expected to amount to 300,000 metric tons, local authorities have said.
The oranges are grown across roughly 14,700 hectares in Nanfeng county, Fuzhou city, and are famous for their thin skin, juiciness and extreme sweetness.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), they became renowned as a tribute to the royal family.
According to Fuzhou Customs, producers in the county have been expanding their overseas markets in recent years, with exports now reaching more than 40 countries and regions, including in Southeast Asia and the European Union.
Between January and November this year, the customs authority supervised the export of 66,000 tons of Nanfeng mandarins, worth 410 million yuan ($58 million).
On Dec 1, the first batch of this year’s mandarins was packed off to the United States. The 25-ton shipment, valued at around 300,000 yuan, is expected to be on the US market within the month.
Quan Chen, an official with the Nanfeng Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, said the latest shipment follows last year’s first export to Africa and is another step forward for Jiangxi’s specialty agricultural brands.
He added that helping Nanfeng mandarins “go global” is part of wider efforts by government and industry to expand sales channels and support rural vitalization. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
