Caixi Navel Oranges

Caixi Navel Oranges

　　Caixi navel oranges are a specialty of Caixi Town, Shanghang County, Longyan City, Fujian Province. The town primarily cultivates fresh varieties dominated by Newhall navel oranges and is a key base for navel orange cultivation in Shanghang County, covering tens of thousands of acres. In 2010, "Caixi Navel Oranges" were honored as a "Famous Agricultural Product of Fujian Province."

　　Caixi is located in the northwest of Shanghang. Since 1993, the Newhall navel orange variety was introduced to Dapingli in Xibei Village, Caixi, where trial planting began on cleared mountain land. By 1996, the variety had become widely cultivated across the town, making it a major base for navel orange production in Shanghang County. Caixi sits at an altitude of 280–550 meters and enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by mild temperatures, abundant rainfall, long summers that are not excessively hot, and short winters that are not severely cold. The average annual temperature is around 18.6°C. There is a distinct wet and dry season, with annual sunshine hours totaling about 2,043 hours and a frost-free period of up to 272 days. The terrain of Caixi mainly consists of mountains and hills with relatively gentle slopes. The soil types are predominantly laterite, along with some brown forest soil. The soil layers are relatively deep, mostly sandy in texture and fairly loose, with high organic matter content in the surface layer. As a result, the soil is fertile and well-suited for navel orange cultivation. Through multiple investigations and studies by experts such as Wang Zaiming, an economic crop specialist from western Fujian, and Professor Liao Jingsi from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, this climate has been deemed highly suitable for growing navel oranges.

　　In recent years, the Caixi navel orange industry has achieved notable success. In 2003, the "Caixi Navel Oranges" trademark was registered; in 2005, the oranges were recognized as a "National Famous, High-Quality, and Specialty Agricultural Product"; in 2006, they received certification as a "Pollution-Free Food," and in the same year, Caixi navel oranges were awarded the "Provincial High-Quality Fruit" certificate. In 2008, preparations began for "Green Food" certification, while some orchards started the process for "Organic Food" certification. In January 2010, the product was honored as a "Famous Agricultural Product of Fujian Province." Currently, the town has over 8,000 acres under cultivation, with an annual output exceeding 1,700 tons. The main growing areas are in Xibei, Linghe, and Sifang villages. Aside from a small portion sold locally, the majority of the navel oranges are distributed to cities and provinces such as Xiamen, Longyan, Zhangzhou, Zhongshan and Zhuhai in Guangdong, Nanjing in Jiangsu, Macau, and Shanghai.