Lingshui Cherry Tomatoes

Lingshui Cherry Tomatoes

Lingshui cherry tomatoes are a protected geographical indication product.

　　Cherry tomatoes, also known as grape tomatoes or cocktail tomatoes, contain all the nutrients of regular tomatoes, with their vitamin content being 1.7 times higher. They are beautifully shaped, brightly red in color, crisp, sweet, and uniquely flavorful with an exquisite taste. Lingshui County in Hainan is famous for its abundant cherry tomato production. It is one of the members of the tomato family. Other common names for tomatoes include "xihongshi," "fantomato," and "foreign persimmon." The origin center of tomatoes is the Andes region of the Americas, where numerous wild varieties still grow in countries such as Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Tomatoes are annual herbaceous plants of the Solanaceae family. The tomato genus includes two main complexes: the common tomato and the Peruvian tomato. The common tomato is cultivated, while the Peruvian tomato is wild. Thus, cherry tomatoes are the ancestors of today’s cultivated tomatoes.

　　Lingshui County is a major agricultural production area for winter green fruits and vegetables in Hainan Province. The local government strongly supports farmers in developing the cultivation of the flagship brand Millennium cherry tomatoes. In Wushan Village and Miaojing Village in Guangpo Town, over ten thousand acres are planted with Millennium cherry tomatoes. Due to the fertile soil and favorable climate, the tomatoes are uniform in size and shape, beautifully colored, vibrant red, sweet in taste, and rich in various vitamins needed by the human body. They are highly favored by consumers across the country and are mainly sold to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Hong Kong, and Macau. Wushan Village has become the only centralized cold storage and freight logistics market for cherry tomato purchasing in Lingshui County. The best harvest season is from January to May.

　　The cherry tomato planting area in Guangpo Town is 20,000 mu, with Wushan Village alone accounting for 8,000 mu. This year, the price is 5.6 yuan per jin for red tomatoes and 5.3 yuan per jin for yellow tomatoes. Each mu yields between 8,000 and 12,000 jin, with an average per capita net income of 78,000 yuan, marking impressive achievements.

　　The reason why Lingshui cherry tomatoes from Guangpo are delicious, sell well, and command high prices is inseparable from the area's unique geographical advantages. First, the soil—affected by proximity to the ocean—is high in salinity and concentration, resulting in relatively lower water content in the fruits, hence making them sweeter. Second, the climate—situated on the boundary between tropical and subtropical zones—is cool and suitable, producing crisp fruits. Third, long-term influence from ocean winds makes the fruits shinier. Fourth, the water quality is excellent, with water sourced from Diaoluoshan Mountain, enhancing the taste of the fruits.

　　Cherry tomatoes contain special substances such as glutathione and lycopene. They can promote human growth and development, especially in children, enhance the body’s immunity, and delay aging. Additionally, lycopene can protect the body from carcinogenic toxins found in cigarette smoke and car exhaust and improve the skin’s sun protection ability. For cancer prevention and treatment—especially prostate cancer—it can play an effective therapeutic and preventive role. Cherry tomatoes have the highest content of vitamin PP among fruits and vegetables, helping to protect the skin, maintain normal gastric juice secretion, promote the production of red blood cells, assist in treating liver diseases, provide beauty benefits, and offer strong sun protection.