Huaihua Orange Planting Area--Hunan

Huaihua city is an important citrus production area in Hunan province and even in all over the country. The orange growth scale is larger, and the species are abundant. The growth area has reached 920,000 mu (a Chinese traditional square measure unit, 667 sq. metres).

The average annual fresh products is about 350,000 tons, and is increasing every year. The main cultivated orange species are Bingtang orange, Dahong sweet orange, Wenzhou mandarin orange, navel orange and so on. The oranges are still sold fresh and cheap except Bingtang orange and navel orange, which sell good at present. The processing of fresh oranges is backward, and the total processing capacity is 2000 tons a year (the main product is canned tangerine segments).

Dahong sweet orange, general sweet orange and Wenzhou mandarin orange are all suitable for processing. Dahong sweet orange and general sweet orange, the juice-extracting ratio of which has reached more than 50 percent, and the sweet and sour taste of which is moderate, are both suitable for juice-extracting processing; Wenzhou mandarin orange is suitable for processing as canned orange segment. The suitable orange plantation for processing has exceeded 473,000 mu, and the annual yield 235,000 tons, among these, Dahong sweet orange plantation is 159,000 mu, and its annual yield 92,000 tons or so; general sweet orange plantation is 59,000 mu, and its annual yield 39,000 tons; Wenzhou mandarin orange plantation is 255,000 mu, and its annual yield 104,000 tons or so.