Deng Donghai's candied dates garden is planted with grass and has already grown fruitful.

(Photo by reporter Luo Xinzhen)

[Reporter Luo Xinzhen/Pingtung Report] Next year (2023) the Chinese New Year holiday will begin in late January. In order to seize business opportunities for souvenirs, candied dates growers plan ahead of time, and candied dates will be available this month (November).

Gaoshu Township, Pingtung County is an important producing area of ​​candied dates. Fruit farmers use lighting technology to allow fruit trees to bloom earlier, and cooperate with field management techniques such as fertilization and pruning, so that candied dates are on the market more than one month earlier than the peak production period; Deng Donghai, a fruit farmer in Gaoshu Township who was the winner of the evaluation, said that the variety that will be harvested this month is Tainong No. 13-Xueli. Because of the use of light lighting, it can be marketed earlier and can be staggered with other varieties of candied dates to maintain price stability. .

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Deng Donghai pointed out that the Lunar New Year is relatively early next year, so this production season he planned 3 batches of adjustments and harvesting in his 1.5A jujube orchard. Tainong No. 13-Xueli was picked for lighting, and now it is starting to pick and market. In addition, Kaohsiung No. 12 - Zhenai is harvested before the Chinese New Year, and Kaohsiung No. 11 - Zhen Mi is harvested after the Chinese New Year. They are adjusted in three batches, so they will not be overwhelmed.

Deng Donghai has been growing candied dates for 25 years. He has established consumer confidence through his production and sales experience. In the evaluation of high-quality candied dates held by the Pingtung County Government earlier this year, the sweetness reached 17 degrees, the taste was crisp, the flesh was fine, and the shape of the fruit was round and lustrous. Consistency and other advantages won the championship; Orchard’s order for next year’s Spring Festival gift boxes has reached 600 boxes. He laughed and said, “The order is almost full!”

Since there is no typhoon this year, the fruit bearing rate of each jujube orchard is good, and the output is expected to increase compared with the previous year. However, since the beginning of autumn this year, the temperature in Pingtung is still high, which has become a major test of quality. Adjusting the production period seems quite Importantly, due to the limited output, the market price of A-grade fruit is about 110 yuan and 120 yuan per catty.

Deng Donghai, a fruit farmer in Gaoshu Township, is the champion of this year's candied jujube evaluation in Ping County, and the Xueli planted by Caidengzhao is the first to go on the market this month.

(Photo by reporter Luo Xinzhen)