Maoming's lychee industry chain output value achieves 11 billion yuan ($1.54 billion), promoting its rural vitalization.

Maoming's lychees are prized because they are so succulent. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

Lychees have been cultivated in Maoming for 2,300 years. The lychee planting area there now covers 1.39 million mu (92,667 hectares), with 85 percent of farmers engaged in the sector. That output is estimated to account for one-fifth of global lychee production.

Maoming's wonderful lychees attract hordes of tourists. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

This year, the lychee production has exceeded 630,000 metric tons and the income of fruit farmers has increased by an average of 20 percent compared with last year. What's more, over 100 tons of freshly picked lychees were exported to the United States and the Netherlands.

In the past, the rate of high-quality lychee varieties in Maoming was less than 40 percent. Nowadays, after major improvements, that's increased to 80 percent, including early-maturing and late-maturing varieties. Of these, a premium lychee variety from Huazhou county-level city is a hot seller, with a price of 1,198 yuan per box of 48 lychees.

The lychee is a fruit with the highest requirement for freshness. Maoming has developed cold chain technology to extend the shelf life of the lychee by more than three days. With the help of that technology, lychees from Maoming can be exported to 20 countries and regions.

Moving forwards, Maoming is developing its lychee tourism industry by creating special tourist activities such as "lychee + customization," "lychee + tourism," "lychee + wellness" and "lychee + culture". The number of tourists coming to taste Maoming's lychee now exceeds 20 million annually.