Tangerine sales back from scare

Sale of tangerines started recovering over the weekend following a fruit fly scare that saw record lows in business in mid-October, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.

"Tangerine sales in major production areas such as Hubei, Henan, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Guangxi provinces have all begun rising after concerted efforts to boost business," the ministry said on its website.

Sale of the fruit was hit by reports in Sichuan late last month that 10,000 tons of tangerines had to be destroyed in the province because of fruit flies, including maggots found in supplies.