Tourists were busy picking pears at the Happy Family Farm of Xinqiao Village, Malichang Town, Huayuan County on July 14. The farm transferred a total of 158.7 mu (about 10.58 hectares) of land to plant high-quality early maturing pears, and grew 80 mu (about 5.33 hectares) of honey pears.
Cuiyu pear and Cuiguan pear are gradually maturing and entering the picking period. The owner of the farm Peng Zhiquan is busy pruning branches, while workers are weighing and packing pears for tourists.
“Cuiyu pear has the best taste now. Yesterday when the orchard opened, more than 200 tourists came to experience picking, with a sales volume of about 2,000 kilograms and sales of about 23,000 yuan. Most of pears are sent to Guangdong, Beijing, Hubei, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Hainan and other places,” said Peng Zhiquan.
“The pears in my hometown are sweet, juicy, thin-skinned and crispy. Every year I come here to pick them or place orders.” Huang Rong, a native of Huayuan, lives in Hainan all the year round. Recently, she came back to visit relatives. When heard that Cuiyu pears have got ripe, she immediately invited friends to taste them.
The farm has cooperated with the Institute of Fruit Science of Zhejiang Province, the Institute of Fruit and Tea of Hubei Province and Xiangxi Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau Economic Crop Management Station to establish a new variety experimental demonstration base for deciduous fruit trees in the Wuling Mountain Area, promoting the high-quality and efficient development of the fruit industry.
In April 2018, it passed the “Green Food” certification of the China Green Food Development Center and was one of the earliest family farms in Xiangxi Prefecture to obtain this certification. In 2020, the farm was selected as one of the “Top 100 National Models” for the packaging labels of its agricultural products, and the product quality and brand effect continue to improve.
The farm was built in 2014 and has now become a well-known picking garden for tourists in Huayuan County. In 2023, the output value per mu (about 0.067 hectares) exceeded 13,000 yuan, and the net profit per mu (about 0.067 hectares) was over 8,000 yuan, driving 71 people in 19 households to increase income.
Every person has received a guaranteed annual dividend of 1,120 yuan for five consecutive years. The farm won the title of a provincial demonstration family farm.
