"Guang'an is one of the top pomelo production regions of China, with around 667 hectares of cultivation surface for pomelos; mainly the white variety. Production volumes have slightly increased this year but prices have remained stable." says Mr. Zou Hongxing from Guang'an in Sichuan province.
In the past, pomelos were mainly sold as a fruit to eat, but in the past few years, consumers are gradually more interested in pomelos because they are healthy and good for the skin. More and more, pomelos are used to make balanced cosmetic products, such as hydrating face masks. To a certain degree, this has caused the sales channels of the pomelo to become expanded. Be that as it may, the market benefit of cultivation and selling of pomelos is rather small and the weather conditions in Guang'an are very unique. As a result, many pomelo farmers are starting to consider changing their farming strategy and cultivating other products."
"Even though the price of white pomelo is lower than that of red pomelo, the production volume is actually higher for white pomelos. It also has to be said that the pomelos from Guang'an don't contain as much water as the pomelo varieties from Fujian and Guangxi and they don't taste as good. But Guang'an has a very long history in the cultivation of white pomelos. So if we want to save the pomelo industry in Guang'an that is now slowly moving towards a depression, I believe that the relevant departments of the local government have to provide technical support and related training. That way they can help numerous cultivators to usher in a revolution of the varieties. Moreover, in order to obtain more benefit in the industry, the cultivators that are now scattered have to unify their products, be it spontaneously or under the organisation of the relevant departments of local government. That way we can sell on a large scale.
