Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges

Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges

Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges are a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges are a specialty of Zixing, Chenzhou, Hunan. Thanks to Dongjiang Lake’s uniquely advantageous location and pristine water quality, these oranges are known for their sweet taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture.

　　According to the "Xingning County Annals" (compiled and revised by Liu Xijiu, magistrate of Xingning County, in 1875), “Among local produce and fruits: pears, peaches, citrus, oranges…” Zixing has been cultivating citrus fruits for at least a hundred years. The "Geographical Names of Zixing County, Hunan Province" (1983), "Agricultural Annals of Zixing City" (1989), "Annals of Chenzhou Region" (1996), "Annals of Zixing City" (1999), "China Industrial Annals", as well as contemporary writer Bai Wei’s "My Hometown", all document the cultivation and development of citrus in Zixing. During the Republican era, citrus cultivation was relatively common but scattered, with low yields. After the 1950s, seedless honey oranges began to be promoted throughout the county. In 1963, the Chengguan Town (now Xingning Town) Horticultural Farm planted over 200 acres, and in 1965, the Liyujianq Horticultural Farm planted over 300 acres. By 1985, the total planting area reached 2,410 acres. After the closure and impoundment of the Dongjiang Dam in August 1986, immigrants in lakeside towns vigorously developed honey orange cultivation. On December 16, 1994, then-Premier of the State Council Li Peng visited our city’s Dongjiang Navel Oranges at the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and spoke highly of them. In 1995, the city’s citrus planting area reached 18,951 acres, with a yield of 15,000 tons. Over the next 20 years of rapid development, by 2015, the citrus planting area had reached 123,000 acres, with a yield exceeding 260,000 tons, generating an output value of 680 million yuan, involving 150,000 farming households, and helping 130,000 people escape poverty and achieve prosperity. It became the leading industry for migrants in the Dongjiang Reservoir area. Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges have gone through three development stages: the initial development phase in the 1980s, the peak development period in the 1990s, and the prime fruiting stage after 2000. Zixing’s citrus was recognized for three consecutive years from 1992 to 1994 as high-quality citrus at the Hunan Citrus Variety Quality Appraisal Conference—specifically, Wenzhou Honey Oranges. From 1992 to 1994, the variety “91-1” was also rated the best early-maturing Wenzhou Honey Orange for three straight years. In 2004, Dongjianghu Fruit Industry Co., Ltd.’s Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges, Dongjiang Lake Navel Oranges, and Dongjiang Lake Ponkan received Green Food certification. In December 2008, Zixing City’s 120,000-acre citrus base was awarded the National Green Food Raw Material Standardized Production Base certificate. In August 2013, the “Heyoujing Honey Oranges” produced by the Heyoujing Citrus Professional Cooperative in Qingjiang Township, Zixing City, received Green Food certification. From 2009 to 2015, there were three research achievements related to Dongjiang citrus in the city, marking a magnificent transformation from a survival skill for migrants to an industry that enriched them. A modern standardized citrus production zone has now formed around Dongjiang Lake, and a number of veteran experts have emerged, such as Liu Qiping, Tang Zhentao, and Duan Yixin. In recent years, to further improve product quality and visibility, a strategy of building agricultural product brands has been implemented, with strong efforts to promote the “Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges” brand. In 2012, the city successfully established a National Citrus Standard Garden Construction Project, laying a solid foundation for the sound development of Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges. Due to Dongjiang Lake’s unique microclimate and a series of integrated technical breakthroughs and implementations in honey orange production, Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges have long been known for their premium quality and high yield. The average yield is 2,000–4,000 kilograms per acre, with the current market average price ranging from 6.0 to 8.0 yuan per kilogram. The average output value per acre is 12,000 yuan, with a net income of 8,000 yuan per acre, making citrus cultivation a new pathway to wealth for Zixing’s orange farmers. Through the hard work of agricultural science and technology professionals, in 2015, the “Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges” among Dongjiang citrus varieties obtained National Geographical Indication Certification for their place of origin, laying a solid foundation for further expanding and strengthening Zixing’s citrus industry.

　　Region:

　　Hunan

　　Applicant:

　　Zixing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

　　Region:

　　2014

　　Geographical Scope

　　The protected geographical indication area for Dongjiang Lake Honey Oranges includes six townships in Zixing City: Qingjiang Township, Bailang Township, Huangcao Town, Chukou Town, Xingning Town, and Dongjiang Subdistrict. The geographical coordinates are: 113°11′43″–113°34′50″ east longitude, 25°33′48″–26°5′2″ north latitude. The protected area spans 7,600 hectares, with an annual total output of 230,000 tons.