Around the city of Maoming in Guangdong province, the harvest season is starting. Zhang Xianfeng, head of a lychee cooperative in Baiqiao village: "As soon as the fruit hits the market, Maoming receives a continuous influx of orders from across the country. We now receive about 500 orders every day. During the next peak harvest season, we expect to see up to 3,000 orders every day."
In Maoming, 85 percent of farmers grow the fruit, and some 92,700 hectares are planted with around 80 varieties. In recent years, Maoming has vigorously developed an integrated industrial chain that includes the processing and sale of lychees to increase added value and boost incomes.
The thriving lychee processing industry gives farmers a stable source of sales. "We have signed a long-term purchase agreement with cooperatives, which provides a sales guarantee for lychee growers," said Zhai Hongping, deputy director of the equipment management department at the Guangzhou Wanglaoji Health Industry.
Source: chinadaily.com.cn