Kaiyang's kiwifruit ushers in bumper harvest

In Xinshan village, Huali town, Kaiyang county, "Guichang" kiwifruit have matured and entered the period of concentrated picking and marketing.

Xinshan village is surrounded by mountains and has an excellent ecological environment, with large temperature differences between day and night, high soil organic matter content, and a rich selenium content.

These uniquely favorable natural conditions provide a natural advantage for kiwifruit to accumulate sugar and develop flavor. Together, they have combined to create the excellent quality of Xinshan village's homegrown kiwifruit.

Since 2013, local large-scale growers have ventured to Shaanxi, Sichuan, and other provinces to study kiwifruit planting techniques and industry development, ultimately selecting the "Guichang" variety as it is well suited to the local soil and water conditions. Through standardized planting methods such as scientific grafting, refined management, and green pest and disease control, they have improved the quality of the fruit.

After years of development, local skilled growers have not only built more than 300 mu (20 hectares) of standardized kiwifruit orchards, but have also played a demonstrative and driving role by teaching surrounding farmers about planting, management, and pruning techniques.

The local kiwifruit industry has built a benefit chain that creates nearby employment and stabilizes and increases incomes. This covers multiple stages of the work such as orchard management, pruning and fruit thinning, mature picking, and sorting and packaging.

The village's kiwifruit planting area now exceeds 1,000 mu, and this year's kiwifruit is expected to remain available for picking until National Day on Oct 1.

"Guichang" kiwifruit are matured and enter the period of concentrated picking and marketing. [Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]