In the orange planting base of the Huasus Garden Cultivation Professional Cooperative in Longcun Yao Village, Meitian Town, Yizhang County, the orange trees are covered with plump fruits, sending forth orange fragrance in winter. Fruit farmers are busy picking the oranges on sunny days.

 

Many citizens also come to experience the fun of picking because this garden is close to the urban area of the county with only about ten-minute drive.

 

 

According to the person in charge of the base, more than 20 villagers pick navel oranges every day, which helps increase their the income. The cooperative planted more than 400 mu ( about 26.67 hectares ) of oranges in 2019.

 

After 3 years of careful management and protection, the orange trees bore fruit this year for the first time. The village cadres came to the orchard to guide the picking, and used the village e-commerce service platform to help the fruit farmers sell oranges.

 

Longcun Yao Ethnic Village, located at the foot of Qitianling Mountain, is inhabited by both Yao and Han people. The village, which once boasted lush vegetation and clear waters, was heavily damaged for years of disorderly coal mining. In order to accelerate the pace of ecological re-greening, Longcun Village planted more than 5,000 mu (about 333 hectares) of oranges, which helped increase villagers’ income and beautify the village.

 

 

The navel orange planting in recent years has brought more income to villagers, and helped expand the village collective economy. Village cadres said that in the next step, they will continue to expand the planting area, and use the e-commerce platform to help fruit farmers sell oranges, so that villagers can increase their income and help rural revitalization.

 

 

It is understood that Yizhang County is the main producing area of the Gannan-Xiangnan-Guibei orange advantageous industrial belt planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and is a key county for citrus production in Hunan Province. The county now has 286,000 mu (about 19,066.67 hectares) of navel oranges, which are indeed contributing to the rural revitalization.