As the autumn harvest season gets underway, the first batch of cherry tomatoes has been harvested and put on sale at a farm in Pingyuan County, Meizhou, South China's Guangdong Province.
At the farm operated by a local agricultural technology company in Pingyuan, rows of red and yellow tomatoes hang from the vines as workers pick and sort the ripe fruit.
With planting beginning in July, the project has a total investment of more than two million yuan and covers 40 mu (about 2.7 hectares), according to Huang Haoliang, who oversees the farm.
Two varieties are grown using a combination of greenhouse and open-field cultivation: Simi (思蜜), a red cherry tomato, and Xiangmang (香芒), a yellow one. The red tomatoes have a sweet-and-sour flavor, while the yellow variety is sweeter. Huang said the yellow tomatoes taste better after being left to sit for two days.
The farm uses organic fertilizer made from soybean meal and cow manure, developed by South China Agricultural University. Drip irrigation is used throughout the growing process, with temperature, humidity and water and fertilizer levels carefully managed, Huang said.
The tomato harvest period is now at its peak, with total production expected to reach about 150 tonnes. The red variety sells for 15 yuan per jin (500g), while the yellow variety costs 20 yuan per jin.
The farm is also combining agriculture with tourism. Visitors can enter the greenhouses to pick their own tomatoes, while workers from nearby villages are hired to harvest those grown outdoors, providing local employment and an additional source of income.
Author | Liu Xiaodi
Photos | Nanfang Plus
