A tourist enjoys picking peaches in Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province. [Photo/local.newssc.org]

It's early summer and the peaches have entered maturity in Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Southwest China's Sichuan province, attracting a host of merchants from all directions.

On June 7, farmers were busy picking, sorting, and loading peaches at the planting base in Puzi village.

"The peaches are popular among consumers due to the crispy flavor and large size. We have seen a rise in orders of more than 25,000 kg this year," said Luo Xin, general manager of Sichuan Mengtao Agriculture Co.

"It’s estimated that the village's output of peaches will exceed 75,000 kg, with the output value reaching 400,000 yuan ($5,616). The peaches will be sold to Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, Kunming and other cities through cold chain vehicles as soon as possible," said Xiang Bo, Party secretary of Puzi village.

Since the beginning of this year, Zhaohua district has deepened cooperation with scientific research institutes, such as the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Sichuan Agricultural University, and has regularly carried out technical training and guidance to continuously improve the quality of peaches and achieve bountiful fruit production.

At present, the district has developed 800 hectares for peach planting, which can reap about 7,450 tons of peaches and over 75 million yuan of output value a year.