In sour lemons, China has a sweet spot

Thirty-seven deals across the lemon industry chain — valued at 27.7 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) were signed at the 2023 China (Tongnan) Lemon Industry Development Conference on Monday in Chongqing's Tongnan district.

The signing ceremony attracted foreign companies and institutions from Mongolia, Malaysia and Argentina, including the Mongolia China Korea Health Product and Wellness Business Council and Chinese companies such as Chongqing Huida Lemon Technology Group, a leading lemon deep-processing company based in Tongnan.

At the conference, the latest research report on the development of China's lemon industry was released by the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

According to Wang Guogang, a researcher at the institute who released the report, the planting area and production of lemons have grown globally, with the Americas and Asia having more than 80 percent of the world's total between them.

The report notes that the world's lemon trade continues to expand, with the main importing countries concentrated in North America and Europe and the main exporting countries in South America and Asia. China's lemon yield ranks seventh in the world, with 95.5 kilograms per hectare.

Chongqing's Tongnan district, has an average temperature of 17.9 C and vast, fertile alluvial plains. It is one of the top vegetable bases in western China and one of the world's top lemon-producing areas.

According to the report, Tongnan has a planting area of 21,333 hectares of lemons. Its export volume ranks among the top in the country, with more than 40 percent of the country's lemon exports. The district is also a pioneer in lemon deep-processing — with a capacity of 300,000 metric tons valued at 3 billion yuan annually.

In addition, it has built 12 lemon technology innovation platforms and has 38 national invention patents. More than 100 transformational sci-tech results have been achieved.

The booming lemon industry in Tongnan supports more than 100,000 local jobs and has added nearly 3,000 yuan to the income of every farm household.

As part of the conference, an industrial talent exchange forum on lemons was also held in Tongnan. The Fifth (2023) National Farmer Education and Training Development Forum was also held in the district on Tuesday.