In China, broccoli usually costs as little as two yuan, about 30 cents, per kilogram. However, farmers in Ningde town in Fujian province are routinely charging a dollar or more for just one head of broccoli, and buyers are still scrambling to snap up their produce.
The farmers are able to demand these high prices because they are not selling ordinary broccoli; they are selling extraordinary new varieties developed by Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. One of the newly developed varieties resembles the shape of a pagoda while the other two come in the colors of purple and yellow respectively.
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A purple broccoli grows in a planting area in Ningde, a city in Fujian province. [Photo/fjsen.com] |
According to local farmer Yu Yanbin, the striking new strains have a number of advantages. "They not only delicious dishes; the broccolis can also serve as a house ornament. They will not wither for 20 days even in the freezing-cold weather during the Spring Festival." said Yu.
The broccolis' unique appearances have led some to worry that the vegetables are genetically modified or contain chemical additives, common concerns among wary consumers. However, Xue Zhuzheng, an expert from the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was quick to dismiss these worries. The varieties are grown using artificial hybridization techniques in carefully controlled conditions, with no hormones or pigments added, he assured.
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A pagoda-shaped broccoli grows in a planting area in Ningde, a city in Fujian province. [Photo/fjsen.com] |
Xue recommended the purple variety, claiming that it contains more anthocyanin and is an antioxidant.
The colorful broccolis are just part of a whole range of exotic products on sale in Ningde. Since the town set up its Chixi agriculture demonstration park as an experimental zone for developing innovative new products in 2013, Ningde's list of products has begun to read like something from science fiction.
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Strawberries are packaged ready to hit markets at an agricultural zone in Ningde, a city in Fujian province. [Photo/fjsen.com] |
