Print the couple's names, 180 yuan for an apple

Wafangdian Yingge Ridge Village, the mountains of apple trees, like red lanterns dotted with branches, the joy of a bumper harvest. In particular, some huge apples, printed with the God of Wealth pattern, or "Xi", "Fa" and other different words, appear to be different.

"these apples with text or pictures are the individual fruits we have nurtured. The purchase price is 10 yuan each, which is four or five times more expensive than ordinary red Fuji apples. This is only part of the creative agriculture we promote." Nie Xingzhong, head of a fruit professional cooperative, told reporters. The reporter learned in the interview that the Apple industry in Yingge Ridge region has roughly experienced three stages from extensive to fine, and then to the current creative industry, and Apple's added value has also doubled all the way. This is a microcosm of the apple industry in our city.

From extensive to fine

"the Yingge Ridge area is the main apple producing area of Wafangdian City. The apple orchard covers an area of more than 5000 mu. In the past, fruit farmers were extensive in management." Fruit farmer Lao Zhang recalls that more than a decade ago, Guoguang was the main local variety, but because the management could not keep up with it, the fruit was small and tasted bad. "at that time, the price of Guoguang was too low, and the fruit farmers gradually lost interest and gradually changed to varieties with high added value, such as Fuji. Now the number of Guoguang in the Yingge Ridge area is only a few hundred mu."

Although the variety has changed, the management has failed to keep up, and Fuji has fallen into the strange circle of fighting prices. "all apples are ripened by chemical fertilizer, and they become tasteless and tasteless, and they don't limit production, and they can't go up." Lao Zhang recalled that at that time, the purchase price of a jin of Red Fuji Apple could only be sold for more than two yuan.

Around 2006, fruit professional cooperatives were set up in Yinggeling region, which began to guide fruit farmers to develop from extensive to fine management, and from ordinary fruits to organic fruits. "Organic apples do not apply any chemicals and apply cake fertilizer, and the biggest difference with the past is that production is limited. in the past, a tree could produce 300 jin of apples, but now it is required to produce only 200 jin of apples to ensure the appearance of the apples." Nie Xingzhong told reporters.

"Organic apples have very high requirements for fertilizer, and the application of farm manure has to be fermented. "because you can't make sure that the food you eat for chickens and pigs is free of chemical additives, you have to ferment and keep only beneficial bacteria." According to Nie Xingzhong, fine management not only reduces the loss in the growth of apples, prolongs the life of fruit trees, but also greatly increases the added value of apples, which can be sold for 3.5 to 4 yuan per jin of apples.

Apple began to sell on a case-by-case basis.

In recent years, more and more apple producing areas in our city have begun to achieve fine management. With such a good industrial foundation, another new form of apple industry, that is, creative agriculture, has gradually stepped onto the stage. The Apple sales area of the Wafangdian Apple Festival, which opened on October 10, is also a feast for the creative apple industry.

The reporter saw that in addition to apples with pictures and texts in pursuit of appearance, there are also apples rich in selenium and other trace elements in pursuit of nutrition. From the variety of apples, fruit growers also continue to pursue creativity. For example, a small apple with a bright red color and the size of a plum has attracted the attention of many female consumers.

The person in charge of a fruit company in Xutun Town, Wafang Dian, told the reporter that in the past, apples were sold by heaps, but now apples are sold by size. Fuji apples with printed words cost 6 yuan, and apples with complex patterns can be sold for 10 yuan each. An apple weighs six or seven, with an average of 12 or 13 yuan per jin, while the best fruit of ordinary Fuji can only be sold for 4 yuan, and the price has more than tripled. "and this kind of creative Apple, whether in foreign trade or in the local gift market, is in short supply."

Upgrade creative agriculture

At the Apple Festival fair, the reporter also saw that creative agriculture is also upgrading to personalized customized apples. "We launched a love apple this year, and the skin of the apple can naturally grow the name of a couple." According to Nie Xingzhong, in order to prevent wastage in the process of growing up, they chose five fruits for each name, and all of them were "outside fruits" that were easy to come into contact with the sun.

"after Apple matures, we choose the best one from five to give it to our customers. This personalized Apple is priced at 180 yuan each. At present, Love Apple is still in the experimental stage. We just send it to some customers to see the market reaction and receive customers with their own names. They are all surprised." Nie Xingzhong told reporters that in addition, the cooperative also tried to produce special-shaped fruits this year, square, heart-shaped apples, templates to be made from Handan, will also be introduced to the market when the technology is mature.