5,000 mu of melons ordered by a Shanghai buyer
On December 26, 2015, the seedling base of the Hongyuan Melon, Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative in Yandian Town, Shenxian County, Shandong Province was a scene of lush green. Wang Junguo, the head of the cooperative, told this writer: “These are order melons for a long-time customer from Shanghai, 5,000 mu in total, all intended for the Macao and Hong Kong markets.”
The “Cui Li” melon cultivated by the cooperative is “sweet as honey and crisp as a pear,” while the “Lu Shuai” melon is green all over, crisp, sweet and refreshing, with an attractive appearance. In 2014, this Shanghai buyer came to Yandian Town in Shenxian County, drawn by its reputation, to buy muskmelons. He was preparing to open up the high-end market of Macao and Hong Kong and was seeking further cooperation.
Wang Junguo took the buyer to inspect the cooperative's bases in Dezhou, Shandong, Handan, Hebei, Huaxian, Henan and other places. Reassured, the buyer signed a large order of 5,000 mu in one go. “Supply starts around March 10 and continues until the end of October, with daily orders of about 50,000 kg. Farmers only need to grow the melons well; they don't have to worry about sales,” Wang Junguo said.
Yandian Town is the earliest township in Shenxian County to grow muskmelons. Over 20 years of careful cultivation, it has built a golden brand. The new muskmelon variety trial and promotion base managed by the Hongyuan Melon, Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative was built under the leadership of the town government, and is used for displaying and applying practical new technology achievements, technology demonstration and promotion, and industry leadership and development, reaching more than 10 villages.
Across Shenxian County, the annual melon and vegetable sowing area is 960,000 mu, the edible fungus sowing area is 7 million sq m, and the annual output of melons, vegetables and fungi is 4.7 million tonnes. It has 65 standardized vegetable bases of more than 200 mu each, 38 leading enterprises in industrialization at or above the municipal level, and an annual transaction volume of 5 billion yuan.