The early ripening varieties of Yangshan honey peaches are now on the market in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province.
The Yangshan honey peach plantations have seen improved fruit quality and more yields than last year due to less rains and diseases in May this year.
To counteract the effects of COVID-19, Yangshan town has developed an online trading application for its honey peaches and strengthened cooperation with logistics suppliers to help peach growers sell their produce.
In Yangshan, honey peaches have become a major driver of rural revitalization. University graduates are coming to the town to start businesses and artists and handicraftsmen are transforming peach blossoms, discarded peach pits and peach tree branches into more valuable tea and artworks.
Vast stretches of honey peach plantations have also boosted the development of rural tourism. Numerous homestays and restaurants are operating in the town to cater to tourists during the flower-admiring and fruit-picking seasons.
As one of four renowned peach producing areas in China, Yangshan has been growing peaches for nearly 800 years and its peaches feature large size, fragrant smell, as well as juicy and tender pulp.
Yangshan is currently home to 21,000 mu (1,400 hectares) of plantations with more than 10 varieties of honey peaches. In 2021, the town's honey peach yield amounted to 18,300 metric tons, generating nearly 500 million yuan ($74.38 million) in output, and the per capita disposable income of local farmers reached 59,000 yuan.
