Zixing Navel Oranges

Zixing Navel Oranges

　　In December 2004, Zixing City was named “Hometown of Chinese Navel Oranges” by the State Forestry Administration and the China Economic Forest Association. It is reported that only two counties (or cities) in the country received this honor that year.

Zixing City boasts soil and climatic conditions suitable for citrus growing. Dongjiang Lake, with its vast waters holding a storage capacity of 8.12 billion cubic meters, creates a unique microclimate that has made Zixing citrus renowned both domestically and internationally. In particular, the navel oranges from Pingshi Township are known for their superior quality, excellent taste, and attractive coloration, and were named “Dongjiang Red-Skinned Navel Oranges” by the late Premier Li Peng. In recent years, Dongjiang Lake navel oranges have won the Gold Award at the China Agricultural Fair, while Dongjiang Lake mandarins have claimed first place in the Provincial High-Quality Early-Ripening Satsuma Mandarin Competition for four consecutive years. The Zixing citrus production base has been designated as a High-Quality Citrus Production Base by the Ministry of Agriculture, and its citrus fruits have been certified as “Green Food” by the China Green Food Development Center.