Yingde Sugar Orange

Yingde Sugar Orange

　　Honors of Yingde Sugar Orange

　　● "Hometown of China's Sugar Oranges"

　　● "Production Base of High-Quality Sugar Oranges in China"

　　● Title of "China Famous Fruit"

　　● Lixi Town in Yingde awarded the title of "Famous Town of China's Sugar Oranges"

　　● Seven orchards and one packaging factory in Yingde granted an "export passport"

　　The sugar oranges produced in Yingde are flat and round, about the size of a chicken egg, with bright orange-red color, thin skin, seedless or with few seeds, crisp and juicy flesh, no residue, sweet and honey-like taste, refreshing and soothing to the throat, leaving a lingering aftertaste. They are also available around the Spring Festival. As a result, they become a hot commodity in the market. Due to Yingde’s location in the central-northern part of Guangdong Province, it sits in the transitional zone from the southern subtropical to the central subtropical region, classified as a subtropical monsoon climate zone. The area receives annual solar radiation of 107 kcal/cm², average annual sunshine duration of 1,676.5 hours, average annual temperature of 20.7°C, extreme maximum temperature of 38.9°C, extreme minimum temperature of -3.6°C, average annual rainfall of 1,900 mm, annual accumulated effective temperature above 10°C of 7,576°C, long frost-free period with only 8 frost days per year on average. In spring, southern and southeasterly winds prevail, while in winter, northern and northeasterly winds dominate. The climate is characterized by warmth and humidity, abundant rainfall, and a long frost-free period. Thanks to Yingde’s geographical position at the northern edge of the southern subtropical zone, it not only avoids the cold damage suffered by counties in the north and the typhoon damage common in coastal counties to the south, but also benefits from the typhoon-induced rainfall that alleviates summer-autumn droughts—creating ideal climatic conditions for developing sugar orange cultivation. The mountainous soils in Yingde mainly consist of yellow soil, red soil, and lateritic red soil, all rich in organic matter, naturally fertile, with thick arable layers and well-developed soil aggregates, making them highly suitable for the healthy growth of sugar oranges. The unique climatic environment and superior natural conditions have resulted in Yingde sugar oranges of premium quality.

　　In line with market demands and trends, Yingde City has tailored its strategies, focusing on developing high-quality fruits—especially sugar oranges—as a key measure to address issues related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and implementing brand-name strategies. A series of supportive and preferential policies have been introduced to strongly assist fruit growers. Currently, the city has 315,000 mu of sugar orange plantations, with 250,000 mu bearing fruit. The estimated total annual output is about 350,000 tons. Major producing towns with over 30,000 mu of plantations include Lixi, Jiulong, Lianjiangkou, and Yinghong. Several specialized sugar orange villages have emerged, such as Jinji Village in Jiulong, Dahu Village in Lixi, Hujing Village in Yinghong, and Xiabu Village in Lianjiangkou, becoming widely renowned production bases for sugar oranges and another emerging distribution hub for Guangdong's sugar orange industry. The city has established over 20 sugar orange professional cooperatives. With titles such as "Hometown of China's Sugar Oranges," "Production Base of High-Quality Sugar Oranges in China," and "China Famous Fruit," and Lixi Town being named "Famous Town of China's Sugar Oranges," sugar oranges have grown into a signature fruit brand of Yingde over the years.

　　In recent years, Yingde’s sugar oranges have remained highly sought after in the market. In the production area of Yingde, wholesale prices remain steady at around 3.5 RMB/kg, rising to 4–5 RMB/kg during the Spring Festival season, with this year’s wholesale price around 4 RMB/kg. Every year when the sugar oranges ripen, fruit merchants from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, as well as from Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia, flock to Yingde to compete for the fresh produce, resulting in bustling, vibrant trading scenes.