In early spring, walking through Huaping County in Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, one can see fruit trees covering the hills and mountains, with mangoes already in bloom. Statistics show that nearly 100,000 people in the county are engaged in the mango industry, making it the largest local industry.

"The first step in growing good mangoes is choosing the right variety," said Zhang Guohui, director of the Mango Industry Development Center in Huaping County. He explained that for mid-season varieties, a pound of Lijiang Red Mango can sell for five to six yuan, mainly because it meets market demands with its moderate sugar content and attractive appearance. Zhang added that Huaping County began experimenting with Lijiang Red Mango in 2006, and it has only gained popularity in the last two to three years. The China Food Exhibition has noted that over the past two years, Huaping County has continuously optimized its mango varieties, recommended varieties based on market demand, and guided farmers to improve their varieties through training. Chen Xingqin, a farmer from Guozishan in Rongjiang Town, grows two types of mangoes: "Too many varieties are hard to manage, but if there's only one variety, price fluctuations can easily affect income."

Quality is the key to a product's popularity. "In Huaping, many farmers rely entirely on mango cultivation for their income and are willing to invest in field management," said Zhang Guohui. He pointed out that differences in management levels directly affect the yield and grade of marketable mangoes, with per-acre output values varying by three to four times. In recent years, Huaping County has implemented technical measures such as "protecting good varieties, protecting good land, protecting good methods, reducing chemical fertilizers, reducing pesticides, and reducing planting density," to continuously enhance the quality of mangoes.

Building a strong brand helps increase the added value of products. A pound of common mango variety purchased from farmers usually sells for two yuan, but after grading and packaging, the selling price can increase significantly. "The size of the mangoes is more uniform, and the quality is more assured," said Zou Jie, general manager of Lijiang Huaping Golden Mango Ecological Development Co., Ltd. In recent years, Huaping County has been working on building the public brand "Lijiang Mango," which has continuously improved the local mango's visibility.

For high-quality industry development, it is essential to further improve the entire industry chain, including cold chain, logistics, and deep processing. From initially processing mangoes into dried fruit to now making purees, the local mango industry chain continues to expand. Data shows that last year, the agricultural output value of Huaping mangoes reached 3.05 billion yuan, with the golden mangoes supporting a thriving industry.

If you would like to learn more about the food industry, please visit the SIAL China website for more information.

Source: People’s Daily

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