Misi jujube becomes the fruit of prosperity for industrial transformation in Jiulong Town, Yingde City, Guangdong

Now, in Jiulong Town, Yingde, many farmers "turn pale at the mention of yellow," as the once pillar industry of sugar mandarins has been affected by "huanglongbing," forcing farmers to seek transformation. Jiulong farmer Chen Jinxing took the step of planting Misi jujube. Before the Spring Festival, the first batch of 2000 jin of Misi jujube he grew was snapped up.

On the morning of February 13, the reporter came to the Misi jujube orchard in Laokeng Village, Jiulong Town. The fruit trees were less than half a person's height, yet they were covered with green Misi jujubes, and when the wind occasionally blew, the fruits swayed precariously on the branches and leaves.

Chen Jinxing, 50 this year, had grown sugar mandarins in Jiulong Town for 13 years, and the good harvests in the past had earned him some money. However, since huanglongbing spread in 2013, Chen Jinxing's sugar mandarins have lost money every year, with the worst year losing nearly 300,000 yuan. In a fit of anger, he cut down all 70 mu of sugar mandarins he had planted.

Just when Chen Jinxing was at a loss and had no idea what to do, a former customer from Guangxi recommended that he grow Misi jujube. When he heard that Misi jujube could be planted and harvested in the same year, and that the market price was also good, Chen Jinxing's first reaction was "impossible," and he personally went to an orchard in Guangxi to investigate.

"According to him, Misi jujube does not have high requirements for the growing environment; as long as there is sufficient water and fertilizer, it can grow luxuriantly." Although he was doubtful about the production environment and yield of Misi jujube, Chen Jinxing still bought a batch of saplings and rented 15 mu of land in Jiulong for trial planting. To his surprise, the first batch of 2000 jin of Misi jujube produced before the Spring Festival was immediately snapped up.

"The market price of Misi jujube is around 8 yuan, and the purchase price is at least 3 yuan/jin, so the market prospects are good." Chen Jinxing said that Misi jujube has high economic benefits and can be harvested in the same year it is planted. Its sweet and crisp taste is also different from other varieties, making it relatively popular with consumers. He did the math: planting one mu of Misi jujube costs about 2000 yuan, and one mu yields about 2000 jin. Calculated at the current lowest purchase price, one mu of Misi jujube can make a profit of 4000 yuan.

As for the villagers' concern about the sales channels for the new variety, Chen Jinxing had long had a plan. "Misi jujube is still relatively rare on the market now, and I also know some fruit dealers, so there will basically be no problem with sales." Seeing the good market response to Misi jujube, Chen Jinxing plans to expand its planting to 100 mu this year, driving the villagers to get rich together. At present, 12 villagers have followed Chen Jinxing in planting Misi jujube.