Visitors pick grapes in Pujiang, Zhejiang province on Aug 8, the opening day of the county’s 11th grape festival. [Photo/jhnews.com.cn]

Pujiang county in East China's Zhejiang province launched its 11th grape festival on Aug 8, aiming to further improve the influence of local grape industry.

The festival, set to run from Aug 8 to 30, is going to present a variety of activities related to grapes in the following weeks, such as an award ceremony for the highest quality of grapes and a call-up for grapes'logos and slogans.

People from all different sectors are invited to provide suggestions and advice for the development of the grape industry, as well as its relations with tourism.

In recent years, Pujiang has been working hard to improve the quality of grapes and expand sales market. By virtue of modernized technologies and increased sales channels, the grape industry has brought great wealth to farmers in the county.

The grape festival was inaugurated in 2008 and ever since, the Pujiang grapes have been known to more people. In 2013, the brand of "Pujiang Grapes" was registered at the Ministry of Agriculture. During the G20 Hangzhou Summit in September of 2016, the fruit was offered to guests from worldwide. One year later, the county established Zhejiang's first export base for grapes. So far, the grapes have been successfully exported to Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia.

In 2018, the annual output of grapes in Pujiang is expected to surpass 113,000 metric tons and generate a value of over 1 billion yuan ($147.54 million).

Purchasers and local farmers gather at a symposium to discuss the business cooperation in grape industry. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

A truck to transport grapes from Pujiang to Hong Kong departs on Aug 8. [Photo/jhnews.com.cn]