Southwest Golden Pomelo

Southwest Golden Pomelo

　　The cultivation of golden pomelos in Meixian County, Guangdong Province, has a history of nearly a century. The county has a total planting area of 200,000 mu, with an annual output of about 300,000 tons, making it the largest commercial production base of golden pomelos in China. Located in Southwest Village of Shishan Town, a provincial-level golden pomelo specialty town in Guangdong Province, the village has nearly 3,000 mu of golden pomelo plantations, producing over 18 million jin (approximately 9,000 tons) annually, with an output value of nearly 30 million yuan; among which, the standardized production base covers an area of 2,145 mu, accounting for 65% of the village’s total golden pomelo planting area. About 85% of the pomelos are uniformly purchased by cooperatives and leading enterprises, then cleaned, graded, preserved, and packaged for sale. The golden pomelo has become an important pillar industry of agriculture in Southwest Village.

　　　　Meixian golden pomelos are large in size, beautifully shaped, bright yellow in color, with crisp and tender flesh that is sweet, refreshing, juicy, and easy to separate from the peel. They have a fragrant, honey-like taste, are rich in nutrients, and offer high medicinal value, earning them the title “King of Fruits.” Moreover, due to their excellent storage and transportability, they can be kept for up to six months under natural ventilation conditions without losing flavor, hence also known as “natural canned fruit.”

　　　　Meixian golden pomelos won the Gold Award at the National Expo of the Seventh Five-Year Plan Spark Program in 1991; received the Gold Award at the National Agricultural Products Expo in Zhengzhou in 1994; were recognized as one of the top 100 counties in national fruit production; in 1995, Meixian was officially named “Hometown of Golden Pomelos in China” by the state; in 1997, Meixian golden pomelos were certified as branded products at the Third China Agricultural Expo; and in 2011, Southwest Village (Golden Pomelo) of Shishan Town, Meixian County, was designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as a “National One Village One Product Demonstration Village.”