Suixi to embrace another dragon fruit harvest

Suixi county in Zhanjing is expected to make a fortune out of this autumn's bountiful harvest of dragon fruit by its efforts to improve cultivation techniques and prolong the industry chain.

Featuring a tropical marine climate, Suixi has favorable conditions for dragon fruit cultivation with an average annual temperature of 20-24 degrees and annual precipitation of more than 1,700 millimeters.

Taking advantage of its climate and red soil, the county planted 25,000 mu (1,667 hectares) of dragon fruit and enjoyed an output of 35,000 tons in 2015. One year later, more and more local residents threw themselves into the cause and increased the plantation area to 27,500 mu.

In addition to its natural environment, part of Suixi's success lies in constantly improved cultivation techniques, said Su Yijie, one of the dragon fruit growers in Suixi, who often seeks advice from seasoned growers and technical staff.

The output of his dragon fruit fields is estimated to reach 3500-4000 kilos this year and bring in 1.5-2 billion yuan per mu with the products sold to Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong and Fujian.

Moreover, Suixi has stepped up its efforts to develop ecotourism in the region. Every dragon fruit harvest season the county is crowded with tourists coming from neighboring areas to watch the harvesting or to try their hands at it.

With the settlement of large-scale enterprises in the county, Suixi intends to promote the transformation and upgrading of its dragon fruit industry and strengthen its position as the industry's national deep processing base.