From 'orange capital' to 'vegetable capital'

Vegetables at the Hefengshangpin farm in Longnan county, Jiangxi province are carefully nurtured and strictly selected before being shipped to the Greater Bay Area. [SHADOW LI / CHINA DAILY]

Challenges await

Leading to the center's multistory complex is a new concrete road, as well as rows of greenhouses covered in plastic, in which round-shaped eggplants larger than an adult's hand are planted. This kind of eggplant can weigh up to 2.5 kilograms and is known for its delicate and crunchy flavor. A small yellow pumpkin called beibei is also among the most popular products sold to several neighboring counties.

Currently, more than 60 percent of the vegetables, mostly chile peppers, bitter melons, green beans and cucumbers, are grown in the greenhouses and transported to the Greater Bay Area.

Lai said the flourishing vegetable industry has lifted many people out of poverty. The Xinfeng branch of the National Vegetable Quality Standards Center alone has rented land from 538 households in the village, with each of them getting about 2,000 yuan in rental income annually.