Guazhou Melon

Guazhou Melon

Guazhou Melon is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Recently, "Guazhou Melon," actively applied for by the Guazhou County Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau, was awarded the Geographical Indication Protection Product Registration Certificate for Agricultural Products of the People's Republic of China by the Ministry of Agriculture. To date, three agricultural products from Guazhou County have received this certificate. The successful registration and issuance of this certificate will more effectively protect the quality and reputation of "Guazhou Honeydew Melon," enhance its market competitiveness and regional recognition, and promote the development of the local melon industry towards regionalization, scaling, standardization, and branding.

　　Guazhou has a history of over 3,000 years in melon cultivation. In recent years, following the principles of "specialization, standardization, branding, and industrialization," the county has continuously advanced the development of the honeydew melon industry, which is one of its representative and advantageous sectors. In 2004, Guazhou County was named the "Hometown of Chinese Melons" by the China Specialties Association. In 2011, "Guazhou Honeydew Melon" and "Guazhou Watermelon" successively received the Geographical Indication Protection Product Registration Certificate for Agricultural Products of the People's Republic of China from the Ministry of Agriculture. Twelve specialty agricultural products, including Hami melon and hybrid melons, have obtained pollution-free agricultural product origin certification and product certification from the Ministry of Agriculture and the provincial agriculture and animal husbandry department. Five pollution-free melon cultivation and export bases have been established, mainly in Xihu Township, Guazhou Township, and Nancha Town, along with seven specialized melon-growing villages each covering over 1,000 mu. Meanwhile, the standardized cultivation techniques for pollution-free melons have been fully implemented, with measures such as model orchard guidance being conscientiously carried out. One municipal-level melon science and technology demonstration park, eight county-level parks, and 23 hundred-mu melon production demonstration sites have been built. New varieties with strong adaptability, good resistance, and stable traits have been actively selected and promoted, forming three major series—Black Honey seedless watermelon, Yindi series cantaloupe, Golden Honey, and Xinmi Za series Hami melon—comprising over 30 varieties, with early-, mid-, and late-season supply bases. The melon industry has become the most representative agricultural sector in Guazhou, and a modern agricultural production pattern featuring "leading products per township, distinctive products per village, scaled operations, and brand effects" has gradually taken shape.

　　In the development of the melon industry, Guazhou County has adopted the strategy of "county-level parks, township-scale expansion," introducing advanced agricultural technologies and implementing measures such as policy support, technological advancement, model demonstrations, and brand cultivation to promote the industry. The "Guidance on Accelerating the Development of Characteristic Agricultural Industries" was formulated, clarifying the development approach, objectives, tasks, and key measures for the melon industry, and melon base construction was included in key projects, managed under the corresponding project management system. The "Guazhou County Support and Incentive Measures for the Development of Characteristic Agricultural Industries" were also established to support and reward townships, departments, rural professional associations, brokers, enterprises, and large-scale growers that make outstanding contributions to melon production and marketing. A county leadership responsibility system has been implemented to guide, coordinate, and supervise the implementation of tasks and measures, helping resolve difficulties and issues in industrial development. A technical contracting responsibility system for the melon industry has been promoted, with ten melon cultivation techniques—including double-film double-arch structures, yellow sticky boards for aphid control, new material foam boards for pest and water protection, scientific pruning and standardized cultivation, soil testing and formulated fertilization, biogas slurry spraying for pest control and quality improvement, and melon bagging—now widely applied. Efforts to introduce and select new varieties have been intensified. Melon professional cooperatives have been supported and regulated, leveraging the bridging role of the county’s 47 cooperatives to establish benefit mechanisms between cooperatives, members, and farmers, forming a "trading partners + cooperatives + farmers" planting and marketing model. Brand cultivation has been actively pursued, with an emphasis on standardized production. On the basis of obtaining pollution-free agricultural product origin certification, trademark registration for melon products has been carried out to strengthen market competitiveness and enhance the visibility of melon brands. Trademarks such as "Mengcheng" and "Han Envoy Zhang Qian" have been registered. Market circulation has been invigorated, with melon supply and demand information published on websites such as the Guazhou County Agricultural Science and Technology Information Network and the Jiuquan Agricultural Information Network, providing timely sales services to traders and farmers. During the sales season, "green channels" have been opened, and cold storage facilities planned and constructed to facilitate procurement, storage, and export. Contract farming has been continuously developed, with strong support given to leading enterprises and traders within and outside the county to sign melon production contracts with townships, associations, and farmers, improving resilience against market risks. The contract sales rate of melon products has exceeded 85% for four consecutive years. The "Guazhou Melon" brand has established stable sales channels in major cities such as Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Anhui, and has expanded into international markets including South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand, with continuously growing market competitiveness. In 2011, the melon cultivation area in Guazhou County reached 100,000 mu, with an average yield of over 5,000 yuan per mu, generating a net income of 70.6 million yuan, accounting for 51.8% of the county’s per capita net income. The melon industry has become a true pillar and income-generating sector for Guazhou County, making the name "Melon Guazhou" well-deserved.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Guazhou County is located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, between 39°52′–41°53′ north latitude and 94°45′–97°00′ east longitude. The Guazhou Melon cultivation area includes 45 administrative villages across eight townships within Guazhou County’s administrative region: Guazhou Township, Xihu Township, Nancha Town, Hedong Township, Sandao Gou Town, Suoyang Town, Yaozhanzi, and Bulongji Township. There are 14,000 fruit farmers engaged in Guazhou Melon cultivation, covering a planted area of 3,400 hectares with an annual output of 150,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: The fruit is round or oval-shaped, with a flesh thickness of 3.5 cm, weighing around 3.5 kg per melon, and a sugar content of 14–17%. It is resistant to storage and transportation, with no pesticide residues. The fruit is free from defects such as bruising, chemical damage, sunburn, pests, diseases, or injuries. 2. Safety Requirements: The geographical environment for Guazhou Melon complies with NY5110-2002 (Pollution-Free Food – Watermelon Origin Environmental Conditions); product quality meets the NY5009-2005 (Pollution-Free Food – Melons) quality standards; the production process is controlled according to DB62/T1177-2004 "Grade A Green Food Melon Cultivation Technical Regulations," and the cultivated products are managed according to a series of technical specifications for production, processing, packaging, and storage/transportation in Guazhou County. Pesticide inputs are used rationally, with strictly prohibited highly toxic pesticides banned by the state, and the pesticide safety interval is strictly enforced.