Ningbo cabbage shatters provincial records

The record-breaking Chinese mustard greens. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

A single cabbage from a farm located in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, has astonished experts by weighing in at nearly 4 kilograms. The single vegetable, one of a variety known as Chinese mustard greens, or mustard cabbage, has set a new record as the heaviest ever seen in the province.

A team of experts from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs made the discovery during their visit to the Fengxiang Family Farm on April 1. The visit was part of the Zhejiang Agricultural Superlatives Program, which aims to acknowledge exceptional agricultural accomplishments.

Preliminary measurements conducted on-site have indicated that the yield from this farm could exceed 7,000 kg per mu (0.06 hectares), although precise figures will require further calculation. The evaluation marks the first assessment of Chinese mustard greens by the Zhejiang Agricultural Superlatives Program, rendering comparisons with previous benchmarks impossible.

Chinese mustard greens are renowned for their delightful flavor and versatility in culinary applications, often undergoing pickling before cooking with fish or stir-frying. While the focus was previously on export, the domestic market for the vegetable is now expanding.

Fu Yongshang, manager of the Fengxiang Family Farm, disclosed, "The current purchasing price for fresh Chinese mustard greens stands at 0.64 yuan ($9 cents) per kg, but once pickled, the price can rise to 10 yuan per kg." He further revealed that they have already cultivated 80 mu this year, and that their processing facility has already secured orders due to strong market demand.

Ren Xiliang, a senior agronomist at the Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the cabbage grown here is a local variety of Ningbo called "Yonggao 2". He emphasized that this variety was developed by the Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences and represents the first superior breed of domestically produced Chinese mustard greens.

Currently, "Yonggao 2" Chinese mustard greens are cultivated on nearly 10,000 mu in Ningbo and are being promoted for planting on over 20,000 mu annually in regions such as Hunan province.