Peach industry boosts rural vitalization in county in Shandong

A farmer showcases freshly picked flat peaches in the peach orchard in Liuwu village, Dongzhuang town, Ningyang county, Shandong province. [Photo by Zhang Jin/for chinadaily.com.cn]

It is currently flat peach picking season in Liuwu village, Dongzhuang town, Ningyang county, Shandong province. The enchanting fragrance of the peaches has drawn numerous visitors eager to taste them.

The peach orchard is filled with branches weighed down by flat peaches. Workers are busily picking and loading the fruit onto trucks, creating a lively yet orderly scene.

"The flat peach is a new variety we introduced, and we planted over 4.67 hectares of fruit this year, yielding about 20 metric tons. The peaches currently sell for 8 to 10 yuan ($1.1 to 1.38) per 0.5 kilograms and are popular among consumers," said Xu Weiwei, manager of the peach orchard in Liuwu village.

Fruit farmers sort flat peaches in Liuwu village, Dongzhuang town, Ningyang county, Shandong province. [Photo by Zhang Jin/for chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, Dongzhuang town has been leveraging its unique products, such as flat peaches, golden apples, and golden honey pears, to drive rural vitalization.

The town plans to continue optimizing its crop structure and developing an integrated model of culture, tourism, and industry, which will combine picking experiences and sightseeing tourism to boost agricultural efficiency, increase farmers' incomes, and promote rural development. (Edited by Yang Yi)