East Big Red Bayberry

East Big Red Bayberry

　　East Big Red Bayberry

　　Linhai has a long history of bayberry cultivation (dating back nearly 1,700 years), making it a traditional specialty fruit of the city. Before the liberation, it was the foremost fruit crop in Linhai. Due to adjustments in the crop planting structure during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as recent efforts such as returning farmland to forest, the city now has a total bayberry cultivation area of 110,000 mu, with an annual yield of 40,000 tons and an output value of nearly 200 million yuan. It has become the second-largest fruit industry in Linhai after citrus, and has been included in Zhejiang Province’s advantageous agricultural product belt, serving as an important source of income for farmers in mountainous areas.

　　Benefiting from superior climatic and geographical conditions and a healthy ecological environment, bayberries produced in Linhai are known for their attractive appearance and high quality. The main cultivated varieties include East Big Red, Biqi, Linhai Zaodamei, and Shuimei. They typically ripen and go on the market from mid-June to mid-July. Among them, Linhai Zaodamei and East Big Red Bayberry are the most renowned, having won provincial agricultural expo gold awards multiple times. Linhai Zaodamei is an improved variety derived from a local Linhai water bayberry; it is early-ripening, large-fruited, good for storage, and of excellent quality. East Big Red Bayberry features exceptionally large fruit, bright color, a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste, and rich flavor. In the 2003 Zhejiang Provincial Premium Bayberry Evaluation, the "Shangyou" brand East Big Red Bayberry produced by the Baishuiyang Shangyou Bayberry Industry Cooperative in Linhai won the title of “Top Ten Premium Bayberries in Zhejiang Province,” and in 2005, it was recognized as a provincial-level agricultural brand product. There are three towns in Linhai with over 10,000 mu of bayberry plantations, among which Baishuiyang Town is the most concentrated and has been awarded the title of “Zhejiang Bayberry Hometown.”

　　In the production of Linhai bayberries, priority is given to implementing pollution-free standardized production techniques, strictly controlling the use of agricultural inputs to ensure the safety and hygiene of both production and consumption. The “Linhai Bayberry” local standard has been formulated. A municipal bayberry industry association has been established, with 13 group members and

　　51 individual members. The development of bayberry industry cooperatives has been actively promoted, resulting in the establishment of 14

　　farmer professional cooperatives mainly engaged in bayberry operations. These cooperatives have over 2,000 member households, are connected to more than 10,000 mu of production bases, and practice standardized management under the principles of “six unifications”: unified production management, unified technical standards, unified product quality, unified packaging, unified branding, and unified sales. Seven cold storage facilities have been built. Five cooperatives including Qingfeng Fruit Industry Cooperative and Shangyou Bayberry Cooperative—

　　such as Qingfeng, Shangyou, Shuangda, Deyin (East Big Red Bayberry), and Zhengfeng (Zaodamei)—have obtained green food certification.