Apples grow at an orchard in Luochuan, Shaanxi Province. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]
By Wang Wenwen
The saying goes that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. As a nutritious and tasty fruit, apples are a popular snack for many people. In northwest China's Shaanxi Province, there's a common saying: "The hope of China's apple industry lies in Shaanxi, and the hope of Shaanxi's apple industry lies in Luochuan County." Let's follow our reporter to visit Luochuan and see how this small county is topping the national apple market.
Reporter: 
Dubbed the "Hometown of Apples," Luochuan covers an area of 1,800 square kilometers, of which 500,000 mu, or more than 300 square kilometers, are apple orchards. In 2008, the annual apple yield in this county was 600,000 tons, and it is expected to reach 680,000 tons this year. In recent years, apples have gradually become the sole agriculture industry and the major source of local farmers' income in Luochuan. However, this was not the case in the past. Thirty years ago, the land that today is covered with apple trees was used to grow wheat. Wang Yanbin, mayor of Huangzhang Town in Luochuan County, compares past and present:
"In the past, a farmer's net income per mu from growing wheat was only 600 yuan, or 88 dollars a year. However, from planting apples, the income amounts to as much as 6,000 yuan."
Chen Junsheng is a local farmer who works for his cousin. There are four people in his cousin's family, and they own 4.5 mu of farmland that is entirely planted with apples. The annual income of the family can reach 30,000 yuan if they have a good harvest. Chen says their lives have improved greatly thanks to apples.
"They couldn't even feed themselves when they grew wheat. However, when they began to plant apples, they gradually got a moderately prosperous lifestyle. They bought new household appliances and a motorbike. Once he even decorated his house, at a cost equal to buying a new house downtown."
The industry dates back to 1978, when a number of agriculture experts came to Luochuan to inspect the land here. As they discovered, Luochuan is a favorable place for planting apples. The area's warm and semi-humid continental monsoon climate and abundant sunshine make it perfect for growing especially nutritious apples. Moreover, as Luochuan is located in the central part of the loess plateau, the earth here is full of organic minerals, creating the best conditions for planting apples.
Since then, the local government has encouraged its farmers to plant apples on this land instead of wheat. It tested more than 120 varieties of apples from abroad, and now it is a national standardized production experimental base for apples. Searching for "Luochuan apples" in Chinese characters on the internet yields 220 thousand results. Wang Jianfeng, director of the Luochuan Apple Industry Management Bureau, says besides good quality, promotion is also necessary to make Luochuan apples famous.
"Every year we do a lot of promotion. We have the local forum for apple plantation and the summit for the apple market, where we invite clients and experts from China and abroad to analyze the apple industry here. We also hold an apple festival each year to display new varieties. We also promote the apples in big cities, such as Shanghai."
Their efforts have finally paid off - last year, the total export volume of Luochuan's apples reached 80,000 tons, most of which have been exported to countries such as Russia, Canada, Italy and South Africa. It was appointed one of the designated supply bases for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This year, it will apply to become the only apple provider for the 2010 Shanghai Expo. Wang Jianfeng says that the apple industry in Luochuan is mature enough to be internationalized.
"The overall scale of the industry here is the first advantage for us. Shaanxi has one of the largest areas for planting apples of all China's provinces, while Luochuan has the largest area in Shaanxi. Secondly, we have some leading enterprises that specialize in the sales and marketing of apples. Thirdly, we have industries related to the apple industry, such as chemistry and animal husbandry. Last but not least, the apple processing industry is another potential market. For example, Shaanxi has a huge capacity for producing condensed juice from apples."
Wang Jianfeng also admits that the domestic apple market is very competitive, since many areas, such as China's Shandong Province, are also striving to promote their apple industries. However, Wang Jianfeng is confident that Luochuan apples will be the champion in the long run.
