"China: Farmers receive top prices for "Red Beauty" oranges"
“Since ‘red beauty’ became famous, we receive several inquiries per day about our citrus grafting technology." The 46 year old master grower Gentu Li is a native of High Tang Island, and has had experience abroad. In early 2000, as the city's citrus county, Xiangshan sent a group of specialized experts to Japan to be trained about citrus growing techniques. Gentu Li was one of them. He returned home at the end of the year, with more than 10 new varieties, and in accordance with the training of secondary to planting technology, took the lead in small range grafting experiment in their contracted field. The "red beauty" came out the leader after 6 years of breeding.
According to Gentu Li, "red beauty" was originally called "Ehime No. 28", delicate pulp, unique flavour, the detection of sugar above 14 degrees. It is similar to the variety "Xiangshan red", however, the "red beauty" has a thinner skin, is easier to peel, juicier, has a better flavour, ripens quicker amongst other advantages. Li contracted 1.7 acres of citrus groves four years ago, and grafted the "red beauty", with a yield of 2500 kilograms. Even with a price as high as 60 yuan a kilo, the supply is not meeting demand. In the four years that Gentu Li has planted "red beauty", November of each year, everything is pre-ordered prior to harvest.
According to the local forestry department statistics, as of the end of last year, the county's "red beauty" citrus planting area has been expanded to 1500 acres. Because most orchards’ grafting time is not long and the output is not high, the yield reached about 2500 kilograms at 100 acres. The "red beauty" has not only become the successor of the "Xiangshan red" and "green Xiangshan", but is now among the domestic citrus market quality ranks.
"The level of planting technology makes the difference in citrus quality, but as the ‘red beauty’s’ planting area increases, it will certainly lead to a decrease in price." Talking about future plans, Gentu Li seems to have a well-thought-out plan. He pointed to a strain of Citrus greenhouse that has grafted several new varieties of orange trees and said: "perhaps soon enough, I will launch the 'green beauty', a new high-quality variety of citrus.”