Pujiang Hybrid Citrus

Pujiang Hybrid Citrus

Pujiang Hybrid Citrus is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Pujiang County is located in the southwestern part of the Chengdu Plain. It is a national-level ecological demonstration zone, a model county for standardized agricultural production, and a production base for high-quality hybrid citrus in China. The county has over 200,000 mu of high-quality citrus orchards, producing more than 300,000 tons of premium fruit annually. Major varieties include navel oranges, early to mid-season mandarins, ponkan, Wangguanxi honey pomelo, as well as premium hybrid citrus such as Tiancao, Dekopon, Shugan, Harumi, and Shinsei, with fresh fruit available from August to June of the following year. Among them, Puzao No. 2 mandarin once won the Gold Award from the Ministry of Agriculture, and Pujiang Hybrid Citrus is often hailed as the “Famous Fruit of China.” Since 2009, Pujiang has held an annual autumn event called “The Oranges Are Red,” inviting guests to pick oranges, enjoy local cuisine, and experience the joy of harvest.

　　Famous Fruit of China

　　The 2009 China Citrus Annual Conference and the 2nd Chengdu Citrus Buyers’ Annual Conference were grandly inaugurated on September 12 in Pujiang County, Chengdu. The China Fruit Marketing Association officially awarded Pujiang the title of “Famous Fruit of China” for its “Pugan” citrus. Over 300 experts and merchants attending the China Citrus Annual Conference also visited the 100,000-mu standardized Pugan production base. The deputy county head in charge of agriculture in Pujiang stated that branding Pugan for market competition was a first for the county’s fruit farmers this year. “To unite and enter the market, 36 citrus cooperatives, 50 associations, and 20 pricing and marketing enterprises in Pujiang formed a specialized cooperative, and the ‘Pugan’ trademark was registered by the citrus cooperatives. The cooperative is also currently the largest fruit industry farmer cooperative in Sichuan.” “Pujiang citrus is of high quality and competitive pricing. This year alone, I’ve already transported 1 million jin of extra-early mandarins,” said Zhou Hong, a merchant from the country’s largest fruit wholesale market. According to reports, Pujiang, known as the “Home of Hybrid Citrus in China,” has a total citrus planting area of 232,000 mu and an annual output of 300,000 tons, forming a 20-km standardized core citrus demonstration belt along the Chengya Expressway. As the largest hybrid citrus production base in China, Pujiang saw a 26% increase in output this year. Rising prices and increased yields have brought a bumper harvest to local fruit farmers. Building on last year’s export of nearly 200 tons of pomelo to Europe, Pujiang successfully secured an order to export 1,000 tons of pomelo to Europe this year. By 2009, Pujiang County had a total citrus planting area of 232,000 mu, producing 300,000 tons annually, with a 20-km standardized core citrus demonstration belt along both sides of the Chengya Expressway. Twelve types of Pujiang citrus have obtained pollution-free agricultural product certification from the Ministry of Agriculture. Puzao No. 2 mandarin won the Gold Award at the National Agricultural Expo in 1994, Pujiang Hybrid Citrus was named “Famous Fruit of China” by the China Fruit Marketing Association in 2005, Pujiang County was recognized as a “Production Base for High-Quality Hybrid Citrus in China” in 2006, and as the “Home of Hybrid Citrus in China” and one of the top 100 quality demonstration counties for fruit industry development under the national 'Prosperous Fruit, Prosperous Farmers' project in 2008. This year, Pujiang citrus was once again awarded the title of “Famous Fruit of China” by the China Fruit Marketing Association, and the citrus industry has become one of the pillar industries for increasing farmers’ income.

　　Geographical Indication for Agricultural Products

　　On June 14, 2011, a verification team from the Sichuan Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center visited Pujiang County to conduct an on-site inspection of the application for the geographical indication of “Pujiang Hybrid Citrus.” After carefully listening to presentations on the origin environment, regional scope, and production management of Pujiang Hybrid Citrus, and reviewing relevant documents such as production technical regulations, quality control measures, and production records including agricultural input management, the provincial verification team fully affirmed Pujiang’s capability to ensure the quality of products under the geographical indication system. On August 25, 2011, the application for the geographical indication of “Pujiang Hybrid Citrus” was publicly displayed in the “Announcements” section of the Sichuan Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Network (Announcement [2011] No. 4 of the People’s Republic of China on the Registration of Geographical Indications for Agricultural Products). The designated protected production area covers six towns in Pujiang County, Sichuan Province: Heshan Town, Daxing Town, Shou’an Town, Chaoyanghu Town, Xilai Town, and Changqiu Township, with geographical coordinates between 103°40′ to 103°64′ east longitude and 30°18′ to 30°25′ north latitude. In 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture officially registered Pujiang Hybrid Citrus as a geographical indication for agricultural products and implemented legal protection.

　　Pujiang Hybrid Citrus

　　Geographic Scope

　　The registered protected geographic scope of the Pujiang Hybrid Citrus geographical indication includes six towns in Pujiang County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province: Heshan Town, Daxing Town, Shou’an Town, Chaoyanghu Town, Xilai Town, and Changqiu Township. It lies between 103°40′ to 103°64′ east longitude and 30°18′ to 30°25′ north latitude, at an altitude between 470 and 860 meters, with a planted area of 100,000 mu and an annual output of 150,000 tons.

　　Product Quality and Characteristic Features

　　(1) External Sensory Qualities: Pujiang Hybrid Citrus fruits are medium-sized, with peel colors ranging from orange to red and a medium-textured surface. The flesh is tender, juicy, easy to separate from the peel, with a balanced sweet and sour taste and rich flavor. The fruit is seedless and of high quality. It matures late and stores well, with the latest possible maturity extending to late May. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: The edible rate of Pujiang Hybrid Citrus is ≥70%, soluble solids content is ≥11%, and it is rich in vitamin C. (3) Safety Requirements: It meets the safety standards outlined in the “Pollution-Free Citrus Fruits” (NY5014-2005) criteria.