The Zhanjiang Nongken Pineapple Planting Base was listed on the third batch of superior areas of agricultural products with Chinese characteristics, becoming one of the four areas with that honor in Guangdong province and the only one in Zhanjiang.

Founded in 1951, Zhanjiang Nongken company is affiliated to Guangdong Nongken Group and has become a large state-owned enterprise company focusing on the development, cultivation, and processing of tropical and subtropical crops, integrating production, scientific research, management, and service.

As early as 2017, Zhanjiang Nongken established the Modern Agriculture Development Co with a pineapple subsidiary to explore a modern pineapple industry operation and development pattern that integrates pineapple planting, processing, and sales.

Hongtu Jinbo, a famous green pineapple brand of Zhanjiang Nongken Company. [Photo/guangken.com.cn]

In addition, Zhanjiang Nongken has established demonstration bases of high-quality pineapples in the city and built famous brands. In the future, the company will build a 20,000 mu (1,333.33 hectares) pineapple industrial park, cultivate new high-quality pineapple varieties, promote standardized production technology with high yield, high quality, and high efficiency, as well as accelerate the commercialization and application of fresh-keeping technology.

At present, Zhanjiang Nongken plants 15,000 to 17,000 mu of pineapples per year, with an average annual output of more than 450,000 tons of pineapples, accounting for about half of the total pineapple output in Zhanjiang. According to the company's plan, the pineapple planting area will reach 200,000 mu by 2023.

The superior areas of agricultural products with Chinese characteristics refers to a characteristic agricultural product industrial clustering area that has rich resources and comparative advantages. They also produce high-quality agricultural products with distinctive characteristics, form a good industrial foundation and a complete industrial chain, as well as show strong abilities to drive farmers' incomes.

Building such areas is an important measure to promote structural reforms in agriculture, promote green agricultural development, lift traditional agricultural areas out of poverty, as well as improve the quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of agricultural products.

Foreigners taste canned pineapples of Zhanjiang Nongken Company at an expo. [Photo/zjnk.com]