Shandong province reaps benefits of great grape harvest

Nowadays, in the town of Sanchunji – located in Dongming county, in Heze city in East China's Shandong province – tourists stream in to pick grapes, as hundreds of mu (100 mu equals 6.67 hectares) of the crop ripen during the summer season.

The grapes were introduced from other regions many years ago and farmers have now abandoned traditional chemical fertilizers and pesticides, using organic fertilizers instead. Consequently, the grapes are big and exceptionally sweet.

At the Chunbo Garden Grape Plantation, staff said that they sell over 500 kilograms of grapes daily and plan to introduce new varieties soon due to the excellent quality and sweet taste of the Sunshine Rose grapes.

Staff from the Chunbo Garden Grape Plantation show the plump Sunshine Rose grapes. [Photo by Xue Bo for chinadaily.com.cn]

Sanchunji town has prioritized increasing its agricultural efficiency and farmers' incomes over the past few years. The local government has implemented intelligent integrated control systems to develop the local planting industry and is said to have achieved smart and precise industry management.

Yan Weisheng, deputy secretary of the Sanchunji town Party committee, said that grape picking and planting has been vigorously developed, with the land under cultivation currently occupying over 100 mu and generating an income of 45,000 yuan ($6,175) per mu.

The industry has also provided flexible employment for more than 7,500 people and boosted the surrounding population's revenue by over 600,000 yuan a year, Yan added.

Moving forwards, plans are for the town to create brands that integrate agriculture and tourism, aiming to promote rural vitalization through its distinctive planting industry. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)