Farmers harvest loquats in Yongshan, SW China's Yunnan

Harvested loquats in Yongshan county, Zhaotong city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cai Shujing)

Farmers have been busy harvesting loquats lately in Yongshan county, Zhaotong city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. Their fresh loquats have been sold in various parts of the country.

Yongshan is one of the sources of high-quality loquats in China. The Yongshan loquat was approved as a geographical indication product in the country in 2021, and was put on the list of nationally famous, special, high-quality and new agricultural products in 2022.

The planting area of loquat trees in Yongshan has reached 65,000 mu (4,333 hectares), 40,000 mu of which has borne fruits. The output of loquats in the county has hit 40,000 tonnes.

The third Yongshan loquat cultural tourism festival concluded in the county on May 21. A series of events in the three-day festival attracted throngs of tourists and a combined investment of 1.25 billion yuan ($177 million).

Yongshan plans to expand the loquat planting area to 200,000 mu in three to five years and introduce more high-quality loquat varieties.

Together with research institutes, colleges and enterprises, the county is developing loquat products, such as loquat tea, loquat leaf extract, and loquat wine, at an accelerated pace, while advancing the standardized development of the loquat industry.