Xuwen, the county on the southern tip of Guangdong province in southeast China is back again with springtime pineapples.

According to Yulin Evening News, the initial harvest is underway and the county has been rolling out 6 million catties (3000 tonnes) of the fruit daily. Catty is an oriental measure of fresh produce equivalent to half a kg.

The above daily harvest rate underlines the fact that every 1 in 3 pineapples in China comes from this aptly-named “hometown of pineapples.” 

As a matter of fact, Xuwen and the rest of Guangdong produce 700,000 tonnes of the golden fruits each year. 

Ads in New York

An inspiring offshoot of producing so much is that Xuwen farmers don’t just harvest and wait for local customers. Rather, they advertise their produce on the social platforms to customers as far away as New York.

This recalls successful street banners at Times Square in New York at the end of last season in May 2023. These billboards lured NY dwellers to the tasty tropical fruit from Guangdong.

“12221” Marketing System

Within China itself, the Xuwen authorities have been targeting buyers using a marketing system known as “12221.”

The starting numeral ‘1’ represents a single distinct goal, namely an agricultural database while the last ‘1’ indicates rural development.

Each of the ‘2’s represents double goals. These include teamwork between brokers and growers, rapport between marketing and production regions, and activities bridging buyers and producers, respectively.

Hometown of Pineapples’ other Attractions

Xuwen, however, is not just a “hometown of pineapples” but a tourist attraction in its own right.

For one, the county is on a strategic transportation hub of China on the Qiongzhou Strait, where sits Hai’an port. It is under the administration of Zhanjiang city, which also oversees the rail link ending at the tip of south China. 

With such transportation links, tourists descend on Zhanjiang each year to see pineapples in bloom and visit cultural relics. The county is a cultural center with old discoveries from the Han Dynasty.

Prices are Fair

Given the importance of the fruit here, the cost of pineapples is currently very affordable. Wholesale farmers’ markets in Guangxi are selling three fresh pineapples at 10 Yuan ($1.39) and one at 2.5 Yuan ($0.35).

This is a fair price, for almost everyone in China looks for fresh pineapples this season. A kilogram of the fruits is costing between 5 and 6 Yuan ($0.70-$0.83), which is still affordable. 

In line with the premise of the “12221” marketing system, store keepers are also extending peeling services to their customers.

The pineapple season in Guangdong province runs the whole of spring, from mid-February through May.