Where are Ya pears grown? A roundup of the latest production regions

The Ya pear is an old local variety from Hebei Province, with strong adaptability and good yielding ability; its fruit is large and attractive, with fine, crisp, juicy flesh, sweet and fragrant, and relatively storable. It is suitable for cultivation on sandy land in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. The main production regions of the Ya pear include Yangxin in Shandong, Weixian in Hebei, and Botou City in Hebei, among other places.

Yangxin, Shandong

Yangxin in Shandong is the world-famous “Hometown of Chinese Ya Pears”. The Yangxin Ya pear in Shandong gets its name because the base of the pear stem protrudes in a shape resembling a duck's head. It has an attractive appearance, is yellow-green when first picked, and turns golden all over after storage; it can be kept fresh in storage for 6 months. Yangxin Ya pears are large, with an average single fruit weight of 175 grams, thin skin, a small core, abundant juice with no grit, a balanced sweet-and-sour taste, and a rich fragrance, with a sugar content as high as 12%. It has long been known as “heaven-sent nectar” and is renowned at home and abroad for its excellent quality. It won a gold trophy in the 1985 national appraisal of pear-series fruits.

Weixian, Hebei

Weixian in Hebei was named “Hometown of Chinese Ya Pears” by the state in 1995. Historical evolution: according to historical records, Ya pear cultivation in Botou can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. Botou Ya pears have a unique fruit shape, thin skin, abundant juice, a small core, fine flesh, and a sweet, crisp, refreshing taste. They have the effects of clearing coughs and removing dryness, nourishing the lungs and kidneys, and brightening the eyes and soothing the spirit, and were listed in the Chinese Fruit Tree Journal as a top-grade pear.

Botou, Hebei

Botou in Hebei is a world-renowned hometown of Ya pears. The city's Ya pear planting area is 250,000 mu, with an annual output of more than 400,000 tons of Ya pears; both planting area and output rank first in the country. There are currently more than 50 relatively large-scale leading fruit enterprises, and 5 enterprises with independent fruit export rights. Botou Dongfang Fruit Co., Ltd. and Yafeng Fruit Co., Ltd. have become key leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization in Hebei Province. Every year, about 70,000 tons of Ya pears under well-known brands such as Jinma and Boyang are exported to more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the European Union, and Southeast Asia, accounting for 60% of the province's export volume, with annual foreign exchange earnings of more than 50 million US dollars.