Updated: 2014-12-11
Navel oranges have hit the market in Pingtan county, Fujian province, Pingtan Times reported on Nov 27.
People line up to buy navel oranges in Pingtan county, Fujian province. [Photo/www.cnchemicals.com]
Avid orange pickers are swarming the plantations and agricultural ecological parks to have an armful of their own. But as many of them have noticed, the oranges are smaller this year.
The smaller size is because of less-than-usual precipitation in September and October, resulting in an inadequate water supply for the fruit trees. But that will not affect the orange's taste and quality, according to Chen Bin, an official with the local agriculture bureau.
The navel oranges are sold at 6 yuan per kilogram, one yuan more than last year, at an agricultural park in Luyang township. Wu Xingxing, the park's owner, explains that it is due to the rising cost of migration and maintenance.
But it seems that the local residents do not balk at the orange's shrinking size and higher prices. Lin Ting, a leading orange grower, said he gets dozens of orders every day and the daily revenue is soaring to about 20,000 yuan ($3,252) at weekends.
"Besides retail sales, the orange park is also cooperating with many supermarket and fruit stores. Since the opening of the park two weeks ago, we have received three big orders each asking for one ton of oranges, and dozens of other orders each asking for a couple of hundred kilograms,' he said.