Fenyi Walnuts

Fenyi Walnuts

　　Fenyi walnuts are a specialty of Fenyi County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. The walnut trees in Fenyi grow vigorously, are wind-resistant and cold-hardy, and produce high-quality, abundant yields. The fruits are beautifully shaped, large in size, thin-skinned, easy to crack, with white kernels and a fragrant taste—qualities that have earned them a high reputation both domestically and internationally.

　　Fenyi County is situated in the northern part of Linfen City, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, at the southeastern foot of the Lüliang Mountains and west of the Fen River. It is one of the main walnut-producing areas in Shanxi Province. The current state of walnut cultivation in Fenyi has a long history, dating back over five thousand years. A local saying goes, “Planting a walnut tree is better than raising a son.” In recent years, Fenyi County has placed great emphasis on the development of walnut economic forests, identifying the walnut industry as a primary channel for increasing farmers’ incomes. Effective measures have been implemented to vigorously promote the walnut industry. The county’s walnut cultivation area has reached 126,000 mu, with a total output value of 31.8 million yuan, and an average income increase of 186 yuan per farmer. It has been designated as a “Key Walnut Industry County” by the provincial forestry department. This year, with an investment of 6.65 million yuan, the county has newly established 15,000 mu of walnut economic forests, uniformly managed 38,600 mu of existing walnut economic forests, and focused on building one demonstration walnut economic forest park of over 500 mu in each township area, as well as two standardized walnut economic forest management demonstration zones of over 300 mu each. Efforts have also been made to actively establish the Fenyi County Walnut Science and Technology Research Institute and apply for the title of “China’s Hometown of Walnuts.”