Organic Satsuma Mandarins

Organic Satsuma Mandarins

　　Since their market launch in 2005, Guangning County’s organic Satsuma mandarins have always been “a highly sought-after bride,” with exports reaching countries and regions such as Canada, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong. On September 4 of this year, the company’s production base and processing plant officially obtained organic certification from the Organic Certification Center of the State Environmental Protection Administration (OFDC), making it the first agricultural enterprise in China to be certified by the national organic product center. This means that the company’s exported organic Satsuma mandarins have gained an “international passport” and can be sold anywhere in the world. From now on, Guangning’s organic Satsuma mandarins will stride out of the country in large steps, happily earning foreign exchange.

　　It is reported that Guangning Chuangzhan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. is a leading modern agricultural enterprise focused on developing three-dimensional integrated high-yield, high-efficiency, and high-quality (“three-high”) agriculture. Currently, it owns 1,650 acres of certified organic citrus orchards, cultivating 100,000 Satsuma mandarin and Gonggan trees. Prior to obtaining OFDC organic certification, the base had already received two authoritative certifications: organic food certification from the Hong Kong Organic Certification Centre and CQC certification from the China Quality Certification Centre. Starting in 2005, the base implemented organic farming, becoming the first agricultural company in China to adopt organic cultivation practices for citrus fruits, pioneering the domestic organic citrus cultivation movement. In 2006, the company’s branded product — the “First Ji” brand organic Satsuma mandarins — were sold in Hong Kong at a price of 60 yuan per kilogram. Currently, the base is one of only two citrus producers in Zhaoqing City whose orchards and processing plants have been approved by the provincial export quarantine bureau for supplying both the mainland and Hong Kong-Macao markets.

　　It is introduced that organic Satsuma mandarins differ from conventionally grown ones, featuring a glossier peel, higher sugar content, seedless and easily separable flesh, as well as a sweet and crisp taste, with sugar content reaching up to 17.5 degrees. After years of cultivation, relying on South China Agricultural University for technical support, the production base strictly adheres to organic cultivation standards, resolutely avoiding chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. Instead, it uses physical and biological pest control methods. It has also equipped itself with a processing production line capable of handling over 4,000 tons of citrus fruit annually, and constructed a cold storage warehouse for Satsuma mandarins with a capacity of 6,000 cubic meters, thereby developing a set of effective planting, processing, and preservation practices. Starting in 2008, the base achieved an annual qualified fruit yield rate of over 95%, with fruit preservation lasting up to 90 days. This year, the base’s organic Satsuma mandarin output is expected to reach 2,000 tons, a 30% year-on-year increase.

　　The rising prominence of the Guangning organic Satsuma mandarin brand will further benefit both domestic sales and exports of the county’s mandarins, especially serving as a model and driving force for the organic and standardized cultivation and sale of mandarins across the region. In recent years, Guangning County, with the goals of boosting agricultural efficiency and increasing farmers’ incomes, has cultivated Satsuma mandarins as the leading industry in its agricultural sector. The development strategy of “stabilizing acreage, improving quality, building the brand, and promoting circulation” has been established to strengthen and optimize the county’s Satsuma mandarin industry. The county has proposed that, starting in 2008, within three years, it will implement organic and standardized production to enhance the quality of Satsuma mandarins, improve and elevate the industry, and fully establish the region as a “high-quality Satsuma mandarin export base.”

　　Currently, Satsuma mandarin cultivation spans all 17 towns in the county, covering a total area of 230,000 acres. In October 2005, Guangning County was named the “Home of Chinese Satsuma Mandarins,” with the industry becoming a sweet source of income growth for local farmers. The promotion of organic and standardized Satsuma mandarin cultivation, along with processing and preservation, has provided entrepreneurial opportunities and employment for farmers. Just the Chuangzhan company alone provides over 500 local jobs for farmers each year. In 2008, Satsuma mandarin cultivation alone increased the average annual per capita income of farmers by about 500 yuan.

　　This year, building upon leading entities such as the Shunguang Satsuma Mandarin Professional Cooperative, Guangsha Citrus Orchard, Chuangzhan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Lidefeng Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd., and the Bayi Ecological Farm, more distribution companies have been brought in to participate. In major Satsuma mandarin-growing towns such as Pisha, Nanjie, Zhouzi, Gushui, and Hengshan, 50,000 acres of standardized production bases have been developed, bringing the county’s total standardized production base area to over 75,000 acres. At the same time, plans are underway for next year to guide more local Satsuma mandarin growers to partner with leading enterprises and demonstration bases, forming cooperative organizations, so that the county’s standardized production base area will exceed 100,000 acres, with export volumes surpassing 50,000 tons and export value exceeding 300 million yuan.