As the scent of ripe Changshanhuyou tangelo fills the air, Changshan county in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, launched its annual Changshanhuyou tangelo harvest season event on Nov 11, aiming to promote the industry's high-quality development.

The Changshanhuyou tangelo, a citrus hybrid combining sour orange and pomelo, is unique to Changshan county and has over 600 years of planting history.

At the event, several technological advancements were unveiled, including non-destructive quality testing, AI-powered inventory and pest monitoring, and new processing techniques. Five new products, including pear syrup and wine that incorporate Changshanhuyou tangelo, were introduced to expand market reach.

At a project signing ceremony of the event, local enterprises secured fresh fruit orders exceeding 37,000 metric tons, while beverage processing companies secured orders totaling 26,000 tons of fruit. These orders are destined for domestic cities like Wuhan and international markets such as Indonesia.

People sample Changshanhuyou tangelo-based juice. [Photo/Tide News]

A total of 70.67 square kilometers of plantations in Changshan are now dedicated to the cultivation of Changshanhuyou tangelo, with the total output of the Changshanhuyou tangelo industry having surpassed 6.1 billion yuan ($858.96 million).

Collaborations with top research institutions have improved fruit quality and yields, with new varieties increasing the purchase prices of fresh fruits by 70 percent, significantly boosting the income of local farmers.

Changshan has attracted 21 processing companies in recent years that produce 108 Changshanhuyou tangelo products. The regional public brand value of Changshanhuyou tangelo is now evaluated at 3.41 billion yuan.