International Fruit, Vegetable and Food Expo kicks off in Yantai, China’s independently selected fruits attract attention

China News Service, Yantai, Shandong, November 13 (Reporter Wang Jiaoni) The 24th International Fruit, Vegetable and Food Expo opened in Yantai, Shandong on the 13th. A batch of new fruit and vegetable products independently bred in China have been unveiled, becoming the focus of attention from merchants and fruit growers at home and abroad.

The exhibition area of ​​this exhibition is 13,000 square meters, with seven exhibition areas including high-quality seedlings, new agricultural inputs, and intelligent agricultural machinery. Exhibitors mainly come from China's main fruit and vegetable producing areas such as Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei, and Shanxi. Companies from South Korea, Japan and other countries also participate in the exhibition with specialty products. More than 20 fruit purchasers and representatives from more than 200 large-scale industrial bases attended the event for exchanges.

At the exhibition, more than 20 new apple varieties such as "Ruixianghong", "Cuixiang" and "Yanjinmi", and more than 30 new cherry varieties such as "Yanying 15" and "Yingfei" were displayed. Most of these varieties are independently selected and bred in China and have the potential to develop overseas markets.

Chen Xuesen, director of the National Apple Engineering Technology Research Center, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Service that in order to serve China well, it is necessary to achieve self-breeding, self-production and self-marketing of high-quality fruits. Traditional "Fuji" apples have shortcomings such as insufficient flavor and difficulty in cultivation and management. The Chinese scientific research team has targeted these problems and has developed a number of high-quality varieties with "Chinese core".

"China's apple industry is getting rid of the predicament of relying on imported varieties and homogeneous categories in the past, and is developing in the direction of diversification and characteristics." Chen Xuesen said that by seizing the opportunity of jointly building the "Belt and Road", China's high-quality fruits will continue to go abroad and explore the international market.

At the 10th China Good Apple Competition National Finals held at the same time, new and excellent varieties from all over China competed on the same stage. The participating categories have shifted from mainly "Fuji" to mainly Chinese independently selected varieties.

At the exhibition, the "Ruixiang Red" apples brought by Mumeituli Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. were very popular, and the stalls were crowded with merchants and fruit growers. According to Lian Zhenpeng, the company's sales manager, this apple was selected and bred by Northwest A&F University. It is known for its strong aroma, good coloring, and durability during storage and transportation. It is a representative achievement of Chinese apple variety improvement.

Guo Xuliang, president of the Yantai Apple Association, is optimistic about the export potential of "Ruixianghong". He said that the fruit color of this variety is red and festive, which is in line with the aesthetics of overseas Chinese. With the steady increase in production capacity, it is expected to open up sales in the Southeast Asian market.