Lijiang farmers get rich by planting kiwifruit

The kiwifruit is grown in Jinlong village of Gucheng district, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang city.

As the eighth Chinese farmers' harvest festival comes, the farmers in Jinlong village of Gucheng district, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang city, are busy harvesting plump kiwifruits.

They shuttled through the orchard these days to carefully pick and sort the fruits amid sprawling vines, their faces beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

 

The kiwifruit in Jinlong village is ripe for picking.

"Our village grows the Jinhong variety of kiwifruit, which has yellow flesh and a red center. It tastes sweet and juicy, with each fruit weighing around 150 grams," said Zhang Renqing, head of the Jinlong Villagers’ Committee.

The yield per mu (666.67 square meters) can reach 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms, according to Zhang. He added that this variety was popular in the market last year, selling for 5 to 7.5 yuan per kilogram.

Farmers in Jinlong village harvest plump kiwifruits.

The peeled kiwifruit in Jinlong village

Kiwifruit planting in the village began in 2010. After years of cultivation, the fruit was well-accepted by consumers thanks to its high quality. Recognizing the business opportunity, the villagers planted an additional 200 mu of kiwifruit in 2018.

Reporting by Li Tiecheng (Yunnan Daily); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue