Anyue Lemons

Anyue Lemons

Anyue Lemons are a protected geographical indication product.

Anyue Lemons are a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Anyue County produces over 70% of China’s total lemon yield and is the country’s only dedicated lemon production base county, officially recognized as the “Hometown of Chinese Lemons.” The region is now striving to become the “Lemon Capital of China,” aiming to establish Anyue as the national hub for lemon cultivation, processing, sales, research, and culture. There are currently 29 townships designated as lemon production bases. In 2008, fresh lemon output reached 100,000 tons, generating an income of 560 million yuan for fruit growers and a total output value of 1 billion yuan. The county’s lemon yield, scale, and market share account for over 80% of the national total. Twelve dozen specialized lemon cooperatives have been established, including Anyue Lvfeng Lemon Professional Cooperative and Anyue Puzhou Lemon Professional Cooperative, along with 17 lemon processing enterprises with an annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons. These facilities produce over ten types of products, such as lemon oil, lemon pectin, fermented lemon wine, fermented lemon vinegar, lemon tea, and lemon beverages. Anyue County has placed strong emphasis on the promotion of standardized and green food production technologies for lemons. Currently, there are 3,000 acres of green food demonstration lemon orchards, covering a total area of 90,000 acres. With 6 million lemon trees producing 21,000 tons, the total output value has exceeded 100 million yuan.

　　 Anyue is renowned for its lemons. The county lies on the watershed between the Tuo and Fu rivers, boasting abundant resources, a mild climate, ample rainfall, sufficient sunlight, and a long frost-free period—ideal conditions for agriculture. In the 1920s, Anyue introduced the Eureka lemon variety from the United States, extensively planting lemons and cultivating high-yield, premium-quality strains. Anyue lemons are visually appealing and superior in quality, surpassing many global benchmarks in physicochemical properties. They have repeatedly earned titles such as National Quality Fruit and the Gold Award at the Thailand International Fruit Expo. Throughout Anyue, lemon trees are a common sight. The county currently has 10 million lemon trees, yielding 150,000 tons of fresh fruit annually. By the end of 2010, the lemon planting area is expected to reach 200,000 acres, with an annual output of over 250,000 tons of fresh fruit. The Anyue Yihong Agricultural Development Company has invested in establishing a 20,000-acre national-level standardized lemon production base. Both the base and its fresh lemon produce have passed rigorous inspections by the national import-export quarantine authorities, securing independent export rights. This lays a solid foundation for Anyue lemons to enter the global market. Lemons are gradually becoming Anyue’s green pillar industry for prosperity and development.

　　 Anyue lemons are of world-class quality and have won numerous accolades, including National Quality Fruit, Provincial Quality Fruit, Sichuan Well-Known Brands, the Gold Award at the Thailand International Expo, the Branded Product Award at the Beijing International Agricultural Products Expo, the Gold Award in the National Famous, Special, and Excellent Agricultural Products Evaluation, and the title of China’s Renowned Fruit. Anyue lemons have obtained certifications for both national green food and protected origin products. Anyue County is a green food production base for lemons in Sichuan Province. In December 2008, it also received certification as a “National Green Food Raw Material Standardized Production Base” from the National Green Food Development Center. With its natural advantages, technical expertise, scale, quality, and brand strength, Anyue has earned the reputation that “For Chinese lemons, look to Sichuan; for Sichuan lemons, look to Anyue.” Fresh lemons and their processed products are exported to over ten countries and regions, including Germany, Dubai, Russia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as more than fifty major and medium-sized cities across China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou. Anyue lemons are rich in vitamins and essential trace elements needed by the human body. They are widely used in industries such as catering, cooking, beauty, medicine, textiles, flavorings, food processing, brewing, and aerospace, offering a highly promising industrial outlook. Anyue is known as the “Hometown of Chinese Lemons,” the “Hometown of Chinese Folk Art (Stone Carving Art),” a “National Commercial Grain Base County,” a “Sichuan Labor Development Base County,” one of the “Top Ten Meat-Producing Counties in China,” and an “Sichuan Pollution-Free Pig Production Base.” Anyue leads the nation in annual pig slaughters and lemon production, ranks first in Southwest China in sweet potato starch noodle production, and holds the top spot in rice yield within Sichuan Province.

　　 Anyue is the only national lemon commodity production base county in China and enjoys the reputation that “For Chinese lemons, look to Sichuan; for Sichuan lemons, look to Anyue.” Livestock products are sold to major cities in Chongqing, Chengdu, and other provinces. Meanwhile, characteristic industries such as sweet potatoes, sericulture, Tongxian pomelos, and aquaculture have begun to take shape, with their advantages in industry, competitiveness, and market potential gradually emerging. Anyue lemons, with their unique dominance of 70% of the national market, are the country’s only dedicated lemon commodity production base and have been officially honored as the “Hometown of Chinese Lemons.” Tongxian pomelos have won multiple national gold awards, while Zhouli sweet potato starch noodles are bestsellers across Southwest China.