Nánjiāng Kiwifruit

Nánjiāng Kiwifruit

　　Nánjiāng kiwifruit has ancient wild origins and a long history. It is predominantly grown in areas such as Guāngwù Shān and Mǐcāng Shān within Nánjiāng County. According to the *Nánjiāng County Annals*: “The main vines include Chinese kiwifruit (Máolí) and honeysuckle (Jīnyínhuā)…”. The *Collection of Reports on Agricultural Resources Survey and Zoning of Nánjiāng County* states that there are still large quantities of wild kiwifruit growing in the damp, shaded valleys above 600 meters in Guāngwù Shān and Mǐcāng Shān. Nánjiāng’s pristine ecological environment provides favorable conditions for the preservation of wild plant communities. Currently, the plant communities above 1,000 meters in the county remain intact, with dense growth of kiwifruit and its climbing host trees such as birch, crape myrtle, camphor, and silk oak. The wild kiwifruit resources are relatively abundant. The artificial cultivation of Nánjiāng kiwifruit mainly began in the early 1980s. In 1980, agricultural science and technology personnel in Nánjiāng County selected and tested the planting of varieties such as “Nánxuǎn No. 1” from wild kiwifruit. In 1988, the Nánjiāng Horticulture Work Station started establishing demonstration gardens for the artificial cultivation of kiwifruit. By 1989, the first batch of 300 acres of high-standard, high-quality, and high-yield demonstration gardens had been built, setting an example that encouraged the whole county to actively develop kiwifruit farming. Successive county Party committees and governments in Nánjiāng have prioritized the development of the kiwifruit industry as a leading sector for increasing farmers’ income and promoting sustainable economic development in the region. By the year 2000, the total kiwifruit cultivation area in the county had reached 20,000 acres. Especially in recent years, the county Party committee and government have introduced a series of policies and measures such as the *Ten Measures for Vigorously Promoting the Development of the Kiwifruit Industry*, proposing to seize the historical opportunity provided by the provincial government's plan to build a million-acre kiwifruit industrial belt along the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains. Following the strategy of “expanding scale, improving quality and efficiency, strengthening promotion, and establishing brands,” efforts have been made to turn Nánjiāng County into a model production area for high-quality kiwifruit. With strong support at all levels, the enthusiasm of local residents for developing kiwifruit farming has reached unprecedented heights. The kiwifruit cultivation area in Nánjiāng has rapidly expanded. Currently, the total area under kiwifruit cultivation in the county reaches 78,000 acres. Three high-quality kiwifruit seedling bases covering 500 acres each have been established, and 21 kiwifruit professional cooperatives have been formed across the county. A group of kiwifruit brokers and logistics experts have also been cultivated, enabling Nánjiāng kiwifruit to be successfully marketed both domestically and internationally. The kiwifruit industry has become a leading sector for increasing farmers’ income and promoting sustainable economic and social development in rural Nánjiāng.