Tomatoes hit the market in harvest season

Workers select and package tomatoes to sell. [Photo by Li Li for chinadaily.com.cn]

More than 20,000 acres (1333.3 hectares) of greenhouse tomatoes in Huangdian town, Dingtao district, Heze, Shandong province are now being harvested, with daily picking and trading volumes exceeding over 500 metric tons. 

Every March and April, Huangdian town sees a large quantity of tomatoes being put on the market. This has led to the involvement of over 7,000 people from more than 20 surrounding villages in the cultivation and sale of tomatoes. 

To date, 22,000 high-standard vegetable greenhouses have been built in the local area, and Huangdian town has become a well-known professional town for tomato cultivation in the area.

Growers transport the freshly picked fruits from the planting base to sell at the nearest trading market. This market in Huangdian town attracts merchants from all over the country and has formed a sales model integrating procurement, packaging, and transportation.

To facilitate the sale of tomatoes, three large-scale tomato trading markets have been established in the surrounding areas under the guidance of the local government.

"Next, Huangdian town will rely on key professional cooperatives, introduce leading agricultural enterprises, and bring in new varieties to improve the planting model. Additionally, we will enhance and upgrade the agricultural market, build a cold chain logistics distribution center, and expand tomato sales channels to increase the incomes of local residents," said Zheng Quanyou, deputy mayor of Huangdian town. (Edited by Huang Junyao)