Dragon fruit season has come to Changsha county and visitors have already begun arriving in their droves to get first plunder.

Located just 19km from downtown Changsha, Duocai fruit farm is one of China's major planters of Hylocereus costaricensis, known in common parlance as the red-flesh dragon fruit. The farm in the town of Jiangbei has so far planted about 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of the juicy and lightly sweet variety.

Wu Biwu picks dragon fruit on the farm in Jiangbei town. [Photo by Zhangdi/csxrmt.com]

Wu Biwu, the head farmer at Duocai, is enthusiastic about the coming season and explained a little of the farm's history.

"We introduced the seedlings from Taiwan province. Compared with white-flesh ones, red-flesh dragon fruits are sweeter with a milder taste."

Although the English name for the fruit is translated from the Mandarin, huo long guo, the member of the cactus species originates from Central America. The plant was transplanted to Southeast Asia by Europeans sometime during the 1600s and was able to flourish in certain regions amenable to its cultivation requirements.

Fortunately for Wu and his team, Jiangbei town is one such place and it perfectly meets the plant's intensive soil and temperature requirements.

Upon starting the project in November 2014, the staff at Duocai invited a group of expert dragon fruit farmers from Taiwan to show them the ropes in what can sometimes prove a tricky operation. The farm also purchased specialized greenhouse films from Israel to maintain optimum temperatures.

During the peak month of September the farm yields around 500 kilograms of the fruit a day. In the long run, Wu has plans to expand the farm by a further 400 mu (26.67 hectares). However, he has said Duocai will hold off until his team has perfected the methods of cultivation and for a time when the market for dragon fruit is sufficiently developed.