Xiangning Walnuts

Xiangning Walnuts

　　Xiangning walnuts are a specialty of Xiangning County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. They feature round shells, light-colored husks, shallow and sparse shell patterns, thin shells, large fruit, clean white flesh, plump pale yellow kernels with a fresh walnut aroma, and large, intact kernel slices.

　　Xiangning County has rich land and forest resources, particularly with natural climatic conditions that are highly suitable for cultivating walnuts. In 2010, the county’s Party committee and government set development goals and an overall plan for the walnut industry, designating it as the top leading sector in agricultural development. Over the next two years, the county invested over 200 million yuan in total, establishing 80,000 mu of high-density walnut orchards and planting more than 2.7 million seedlings, completing the original four-year target of planting 80,000 mu of walnuts two years ahead of schedule. To date, the county has seven townships with over 5,000 mu of walnut cultivation each, two village committees with contiguous development of over 3,000 mu each, six with over 2,000 mu, eleven with over 1,000 mu, and twenty-six with over 500 mu, bringing the total walnut planting area to over 100,000 mu. This year, the county is rallying renewed energy and setting new targets, aiming to plant 20,000 mu of high-standard walnut orchards on top of the existing 100,000 mu. It strives to reach 200,000 mu of walnut cultivation by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, with every rural resident owning one mu of walnut economic forest, making it a key pillar for boosting rural economic development and increasing farmers’ incomes. To achieve this goal, the county follows the “four persistences” principle: Persisting in consistent publicity. Making full use of radio stations, television, mobile publicity vans, bulletin boards, and slogans to widely promote government subsidy policies and the economic benefits of walnuts, guiding the public to change their mindset and boost enthusiasm and initiative for planting. Persisting in high-standard planning. Organizing technical personnel to go deep into villages and towns to develop base construction plans, strategically identifying key areas for the walnut industry and accelerating development progress. At the same time, by facilitating land transfers, encouraging large-scale contractors, forming walnut planting cooperatives, and nurturing leading enterprises, the county accelerates the scale and intensive development of walnut farming. On the basis of full county coverage, it is committed to creating one to two high-standard contiguous planting zones and building representative premium orchards and model projects. Persisting in high-efficiency planting and management. Strictly controlling the quality of purchased seedlings to ensure quality. Continuously strengthening the professional talent team and establishing a three-tier technical service network at the county, township, and village levels. During key stages such as digging pits, fertilizing, planting, and maintenance, technicians are hired to provide on-site training and guidance, striving to achieve “one seedling planted, one tree alive; one area cultivated, one region enriched.” Persisting in strong policy support. The county adopts the approach of “retaining internal funds, attracting external investment, and competing for upper-level support,” effectively integrating idle social capital to increase investment in the walnut industry. Meanwhile, the county finance allocates special funds to subsidize and support the development of high-density walnut orchards and ridge walnut bases. The county has also set up a special incentive fund for the industrialized development of walnuts, established a free training program for walnut professionals, and created an incentive mechanism for attracting investment to promote the walnut industry, ensuring robust financial and institutional support for the development of the walnut sector.