Rongjiang Navel Oranges

Rongjiang Navel Oranges

　　 Rongjiang navel oranges are a specialty of Rongjiang County in Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province. The navel oranges from Rongjiang are of exceptional quality—large in size, bright in color, high in protein content, and rich in various vitamins. In 2008, Rongjiang’s “Wurong” brand navel oranges were awarded titles such as the “Silver Award at the China International Forestry Expo” and the “Gold Award for Characteristic Agricultural Products Processing in Guizhou.”

　　 Rongjiang has a mid-subtropical humid monsoon climate with an average annual temperature of 18.4 degrees Celsius and a pollution-free ecological environment. Taking advantage of the transportation benefits brought by the construction of the Xiarong Expressway and the Guiyang-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, Rongjiang County has focused on building a supply base for high-quality agricultural products for the Pan-Pearl River Delta region and Southeast Asian markets. Guided by the development strategy of establishing a “major county for green ecological industries,” the county has planned and implemented a 100,000-mu high-quality fruit base centered on navel oranges. To date, a 42,000-mu high-quality navel orange base has been established, with half of it already reaching peak production. It is estimated that this year the county will produce 5 million kilograms of commercial navel oranges, generating an expected income of 22 million yuan. Navel oranges have become a bright spot in increasing farmers’ incomes in Rongjiang County.

　　 Since focusing on developing the navel orange industry in 2001, Rongjiang County has introduced varieties such as the American Newhall navel orange, Japan’s Seikei navel orange, and Venezuela’s red-flesh navel orange. In particular, the American Newhall navel orange, which was introduced from the United States, is of superior quality—not only large in size, bright in color, high in protein content, and rich in various vitamins, but also effective in lowering cholesterol and breaking down fats. It has successively won titles such as “Guizhou High-Quality Agricultural Product” and “Famous Agricultural Product at the First Guizhou Specialty and Quality Agricultural Products Trade Fair,” and has been certified as a Guizhou pollution-free agricultural product. In 2007, it received the Silver Award at the China International Forestry Expo, and in 2008, it won the Gold Award for Characteristic Agricultural Products Processing in Guizhou. It is known as the “Number One Orange in China.”