Research and development in lychee production in Guangdong
發佈日期: 2025-05-26 21:01
TVB News
Maoming in southwestern Guangdong Province in mainland China is the world's largest lychee production base, with over 93,000 hectares of lychee orchards and an output exceeding 500,000 tons in 2024.
In recent years, the city has actively developed its lychee industry and cultivated new varieties to strengthen Guangdong's position as a research and development hub for lychee production.
Legend has it that the lychees adored by Imperial Consort Yang Guifei came from Baiqiao Village in Maoming.
Since 2023, Baiqiao Village has developed a modern lychee industry, establishing the Baiqiao Lychee Expo Park spanning over 660 hectares.
The village also houses an e-commerce trading centre for lychees, integrating tourism and cultural creativity to develop new lychee-based products, expanding sales channels and boosting income for over 500 local fruit farmers.
So far, nearly 1,000 local and external lychee distributors have been attracted to Maoming, where they contract orchards before selling the produce nationwide.
Xu Yuting, a manager of Baiqiao Village Company, explained that their product development now covers a much broader direction.
She noted that previously, they relied on traditional methods, selling dried lychees and other local specialities, but now their processed products are diversifying, giving visitors more choices.
Last year, Baiqiao Village earned a total income of 4.3 million. With this year being a bumper harvest for lychees, the fruit farmers' income is expected to increase by 10 to 15 percent.
Currently, Baiqiao's lychee orchards have collected over 700 varieties from seven provinces, 11 countries and regions.
This not only meets domestic needs for lychee preservation and cultivation, but also creates an important platform for international exchange and cooperation.
Through protection measures and the breeding of new strains, Guangdong is strengthening its role as a lychee development centre, driving high-quality development in the national lychee industry.
Lu Hongmou, senior agronomist for Guangdong Province, emphasised that the cultivation of high-quality lychee varieties is the top priority.
He said that by stationing experts in the area, focusing on scientific research, innovation and breeding, they can significantly impact the lychee industry.
He predicted that the number of varieties would keep growing, and their quality would keep improving.
Meanwhile, the Baiqiao Service Area is becoming China's first lychee culture-themed highway service area.
