The Yangshan honey peaches produced in Wuxi, Jiangsu are characterized by a "large and juicy fruit". Among them, the mid-ripening varieties "Baifeng" and "Hujing" were launched in early and mid-July respectively, and are very popular in the market. It is understood that this year, the production of "Baifeng" peaches has been reduced due to the weather, while the "Hujing" peaches have been less affected due to their relatively late ripening.
Wuxi Yangshan Taotianxia Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. is mainly engaged in the cultivation and sales of Yangshan honey peaches. The main varieties are "Baifeng" and "Hujing".
Mr. Sun Jianqin, from the company, introduced: "Baifeng honey peaches were in the period of expansion during the rainy season in June. The rainfall this year was more frequent than before, resulting in more fruit dropping, which reduced the production by 30%. At that time, the market was worried that the rain would affect the taste, and orders decreased. The rainy season is over by the time the Hujing honey peaches are ripening, and the weather clears up and the temperature is high. The production volume drops slightly, but the overall impact is not significant. At the same time, the market regains confidence. The offline sales of these two varieties are mainly for high-end gifts. This year, a large number of orders have been concentrated on Hujing honey peaches, and the demand exceeds supply as soon as they go on the market. "
"Due to the rising demand in a short period of time, the price has increased recently. This year, the overall price of Yangshan honey peaches is relatively strong and has risen compared with the past. Even though orders for Baifeng were reduced when it was launched, the market was short of peaches due to continuous rains at that time, so the price did not increase. July is the peak time for these two mid-ripening varieties to go on the market. Due to the abundant rain this year, peach production is relatively fast. It is estimated that by the end of the production season in early and mid-August, the supply may be less. "
Due to the characteristics of commercial fruit crops, many local orchards are still operated purely manually and inevitably encounter challenges such as rising labor costs and an aging workforce.
Talking about this aspect, Sun believes that machinery should be involved in labor as much as possible: "We have established a service center for family farm development to discuss and demonstrate how to use more machinery to save labor, and hope to bring other farmers to participate."
It is understood that Sun's farm has built a demonstration peach orchard for the organic and healthy cultivation of honey peaches, which saves about ￥15000/ha per year compared to the traditional model. "For example, at present, tracked carriers can be used for field transfer, fertilization, and transportation; forklifts can be used for pruning, bagging, and picking; there are ride-on or medium-sized tractors for mowing grass." Sun mentioned that he hopes to attract more young people to join agriculture through mechanization to deal with labor-related issues.
Taotianxia's peach brands include "Zhenzhuangyuan" and "Haotaoqi", all of which have obtained Green Food certification. It has its own 10-ha orchard, and its sales channels are mainly high-end gifts for business, and there are also online stores for sales.