Bumper pear harvest boosts Shandong's rural vitalization

Editor's note: Shandong province in East China has cultivated a range of well-known brands across several sectors – including manufacturing, tourism, culture, agriculture and food. Its Friendly Shandong, Remarkable Shandong brand strategy has increasingly become a key engine for driving the region's high-quality growth. China Daily is publishing a series of stories to display top brands, specialties and handicrafts in Shandong.

The charming town of Dutang – which nestles in the Dingtao district of Heze city, in East China's Shandong province – is currently seeing its orchards bursting with ripe pears.

The golden, plump fruit glisten in the sunlight, filling the air with a delightful aroma.

A Dingtao farmer hauls the picked fruit back for processing. [Photo by Yan Xiaona for chinadaily.com.cn]

After careful selection, the pears are either packed in boxes for distribution or sold directly to customers.

To boost its rural development, Dingtao district has been actively encouraging individuals to participate in or to establish family farms, cooperatives and other agricultural ventures.

It has a production management model which revolves around unified procurements, standardized technological requirements, uniform production management and standardized packaging and harvesting. This is being adopted to ensure consistent high quality of pear production.

The quality control measures implemented in Dingtao district are said to guarantee the great taste and appearance of the pears, attracting merchants from all over the country.

Zhang Fu, the director of the rural office in Dutang town, emphasized the district's commitment to expanding its competitive advantages in fruit tree cultivation.

They plan to actively promote the region's special crops, further enrich and develop agricultural tourism and facilitate the transition from traditional agriculture to leisure agriculture. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)