A farmer sorts harvested apples at a garden in Aksu of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
URUMQI, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- A bumper harvest of apples has brought joy to fruit growers in Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Apple grower Tusunali Yusup of Hongqipo Farm in Aksu said all his fruit had been reserved by buyers outside Xinjiang before it was harvested.
Farmers pick apples at a garden in Aksu of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Man)
Aksu apples have become highly sought-after on the Chinese and foreign markets as Aksu has an arid, temperate continental climate and long sunlight hours, which are ideal conditions for apple planting.
Amatniyaz Abdurahman is a fruit technician in Koyqi Village in Aksu's Wensu County. He has just purchased a car with his savings of 100,000 yuan (14,900 U.S. dollars).
"The fruit has seen swift sales, bringing us fortune," he said.
A farmer sorts harvested apples at a garden in Aksu of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Aksu Prefecture is a deeply impoverished area of China, and fruit has become the main source of income for locals. Official data showed that revenues from the forest and fruit industries account for about one-third of local residents' total incomes. The promotion of Aksu apples is thus reducing poverty.
According to data from the Aksu agriculture and rural affairs department, Aksu's total output of apples last year was about 688,800 tonnes, and its total area of fruit-bearing apple orchards was about 22,260 hectares.
A farmer sorts apples at a garden in Aksu of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Man)
Rather than relying on wholesale procurement, growers have developed multiple retail channels. Many livestreamed videos of Aksu apple growers picking and packaging fruit can be seen on Chinese social media platforms.
"Now we are competing with corporate buyers outside Xinjiang to purchase Aksu apples," said He Guanghui, deputy general manager of Aksu Fruit Industry Co., Ltd.
He said the company plans to purchase 30,000 tonnes of apples this year, which are destined for major supermarket chains and wholesale markets across the country. The firm has so far amassed 12,000 tonnes of the fruit. ■
