County in N China’s Hebei makes a name for itself with pear exports

Zhaoxian county in north China’s Hebei province, known for its big, sweet and juicy pears, has exported the fresh fruits and other related processed products to markets in over a dozen countries and regions, including in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, according to a local official.

Employees work at a pear workshop operated by the Hebei Jiahua Agriculture Product Co., Ltd. in Fanzhuang town, Zhaoxian county, north China’s Hebei province. (Photo/Hao Ye)

Home to over 1,300 cold storage compartments with a combined capacity of 400 million kilograms of fruit, the county has formed an integrated industrial chain for pears, from planting, storage, processing to sales, generating an annual revenue of more than $6 million through the export of pears and processed products, revealed Li Shujiang, secretary of the leading Party members’ group at the county’s commerce bureau.

With orchards covering more than 250,000 mu (about 16,667 hectares), Zhaoxian county has been cultivating pears for over 1,000 years. The county has earned itself the title of “China’s snow pear capital”, with an annual production of about 600,000 tons of snow pears.

The county has developed its pear industry into a pillar industry by promoting standardized production and the deep processing of the locally grown fruit, with the added value surpassing 500 million yuan (about $78.1 million). Meanwhile, more than 140,000 people are now engaged in the industry.

Quality is the main reason why the county has won market share from overseas, according to Song Baoliang, production manager with the Hebei Jiahua Agriculture Product Co., Ltd. in Fanzhuang town of the county.

“We began to purchase fresh pears according to the export standards from local growers in 2000,” Song said, explaining that the company has exported fresh pears to Canada, Australia, and countries in Southeast Asia.

In addition to fresh pears, processed products from the county also reach foreign customers. Thanks to the well-developed pear industry, Zhaoxian Sanhua Pear Cooperative in the county has exported 2.4 million yuan worth of pear flower products this year. The cooperative has regular customers in Japan and South Korea, among other countries.

Meanwhile, other processed products such as pear juice, dried pears, pear syrup, and pear wine have also shown a huge potential in overseas markets, according to Gao Huanwei, sales manager with Hebei Lyunuo Food Co., Ltd.

Gao said the company has actively expanded overseas markets since 2012 and has accumulated a number of regular customers in countries including the US, Canada, and South Africa, adding that its annual export of pear juice reached 2,500 tons, which amounts to 40 million yuan in all.