In Fujian, persimmon harvest underway

陈小将

A photo shows drying racks packed with persimmons in the Yongding district of Longyan, Fujian province. [Photo by Huang Qiuping/For chinadaily.com.cn]
In the Yongding district of Longyan, Fujian province, farmers are busy drying persimmons to be transported soon to the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen, as well as to Guangdong province.
"Every 4 kilograms of fresh persimmons make 1 kilogram of dried persimmon fruit," said Su Qicai, a local farmer. "I received orders of over 5,000 kilograms of the dried fruits this year, and the price is good."
He added: "We started the drying process in October and through this traditional labor work to make the dried fruits taste better."
The fresh persimmons will remain under natural sunshine for more than two weeks before they are packaged.
Yongding district in Longyan has over 5,700 hectares of persimmons under cultivation, producing 60,000 tons annually. More than 20,000 households here are involved in persimmon farming.