China News Agency, Aksu, Xinjiang, November 22, title: Aksu Apple: "Sugar Heart Storm" from the foot of Tianshan Mountain
Author Gou Jipeng
It blooms in April and sets fruit in May. After a long growth period around frost, the sugar accumulates, and the apple orchards in Aksu, Xinjiang are full of fragrance.
"This year's picking season came earlier, and it's basically over now. Now it's the peak sales season." Du Minchao, a local fruit farmer, said while cutting open the apple in his hand, and saw that the core of the fruit was amber and translucent, resembling a snowflake. The famous "Bingtang Heart".
The data picture shows a fruit farmer displaying ripe Aksu apples.
Photo by Wang Tuo, published by China News Agency
"The sugar content of Aksu apples is more than 18%, which is far higher than the 13% of ordinary apples. Before and after the frost, after many low-temperature natural frosts, the sugar accumulates inside the apples, forming a translucent crystal, forming the 'rock candy heart' '." According to Song Haibo, president of the Aksu Apple Association, the formation of sugar centers mostly occurs in fruits with higher maturity. Fuji apples are one of the most common fruits that form sugar centers, and Aksu apples are exactly the origin of Fuji apples. A sort of.
Coupled with unique climatic conditions such as natural sandy soil, snow-water irrigation in Tianshan Mountains, sufficient sunshine time, and large temperature difference between day and night, the probability of Aksu apples forming sugar centers is much higher than that of other apples.
Xinjiang apples have a long history.
"Da Tang Western Regions" mentions "Nai produced in Agni and Quzhi countries". Quzhi country is near Kuqa City in today's Aksu region, and "Nai" means apples.
In 2017, the team of Professor Chen Xuesen from Shandong Agricultural University published research results in the international academic journal "Nature Communications" (Nature Communications), showing that through gene sequencing, it was confirmed that wild apples in Xinjiang, China, are the origin of cultivated apples in the world.
The data picture shows the scene of apple picking in Aksu.
(UAV photo) Photo by Wang Tuo, published by China News Agency
Since the 1980s, a large number of apple trees have been planted in Xinjiang.
As a national geographical indication product of China, Aksu apple was selected into the second batch of protection list of the "China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indications".
"The Aksu apple is obliquely pointed, with a smooth and delicate surface. The flesh is sweet and juicy. The core is transparent and has a sugar center. It is rich in vitamin C, cellulose, pectin, etc." Du Minchao said that last year his family's 280 mu orchard produced 840 tons of fruit, net income of about 1.5 million yuan.
As a large tree and fruit grower, Du Minchao also established an agricultural cooperative to lead the fruit growers to become rich together.
The data picture shows the Aksu apple orchard before and after frost. Apples are dotted with branches, and fruit farmers are busy picking.
(UAV photo) Photo by Wang Tuo, published by China News Agency
At present, there are more than 2,000 e-commerce companies and more than 15,000 people engaged in online sales of apples in Aksu.
Not long ago, during the "Double Eleven" online shopping festival, Aksu Apple was a star product that was live broadcasted by local anchors.
"In the past, we just waited for buyers to come to our door, but now we can sell them all through live broadcasting." Wang Sanmei, a fruit farmer in Aksu City, told reporters that in the past, every time the apples were ripe, they would wait for the agent to come to the house to negotiate the price, and then bring the merchants to purchase.
A few years ago, she registered a short video account to try to sell apples live, and now she has more than 50,000 fans from all over China.
The data picture shows that the vehicles filled with Aksu apples are ready to be sent to various places.
Photo by Wang Tuo, published by China News Agency
"In the past two years, I have been able to sell dozens of tons of apples at home through the live webcast platform, and I even sold them for neighbors." Wang Sanmei said that this year her family contracted an orchard with an area of more than 40 mu of fruit, and an apple output of nearly 90 tons. More than 30 tons have been sold online.
According to Song Haibo, the planting area of Aksu Bingtangxin apples this year is about 513,000 mu, and the fruit-bearing area is about 480,000 mu. As of November 10, a total of about 820,000 tons of apples have been harvested, with an estimated annual output value of more than 4 billion yuan.
Today, Aksu Apple has a "one-stop" industrial chain from planting and picking to refrigeration and preservation, packaging and transportation, intensive processing, and e-commerce sales.
Dried fruit, fruit juice, and fruit vinegar processed from Aksu apples are also sold well all over the country.
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