Fruit farmers face growing price dilemma

While travel bans and blocks on large gatherings are preventing the spread of the disease, some growers are finding life tough. Yang Zekun reports.

As he surveyed the 50 metric tons of spinach growing in his fields early this month, Shi Xuecheng was mainly concerned about getting a good price for his crop.

The matter was pressing. His plants had reached a height of about 25 centimeters and could not stay in the ground much longer because the rising temperatures would cause them to rot. The 67-year-old also had more than 60 tons of cabbages and 25 tons of sweet potatoes in his fields.

Many farmers nationwide are facing problems selling this year's crop and sowing next year's as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which started in Wuhan, in the central province of Hubei, late last year.

Since January, almost all provinces and cities have seen highway traffic restricted, people placed in quarantine and factories and schools closed in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Those measures have had a significant impact on the production and sale of agricultural produce.