Dongshan Town in Suzhou’s Wuzhong District is expected to enter the harvest season for Baisha loquats soon, with some early varieties appearing on the market on May 10.
“Baisha loquats in Dongshan Town come in no less than seven varieties such as Baiyu, Guanyu, Zaohuang, Zhaozhong and Dongyu. And Baiyu loquats are the most widely planted, the output of which accounts for about 85% of the town’s total,” said Zheng Junhua, a local agricultural technician. Farmers have already begun to pick Zaohuang loquats. It is expected that Baiyu loquats will be available on the market in large quantities since May 17 and Guanyu loquats will be harvested in the middle and late May. These local seasonal fruits will only be on sale for about 30 days.
The town secured a bumper harvest of loquats last year, with the output exceeding 10,000 tons. And due to the dry weather last winter and this spring, the output this year is forecast to decline slightly, with a smaller fruit size but sweeter taste. The price is expected to remain flat.
