Yantai blueberries boost rural economy

Jingxi blueberry manor in Jugezhuang town, Yantai, East China's Shandong province, has developed an agricultural business model, benefiting both local agriculture and tourism.

Established in July 2013, Jingxi blueberry manor has developed into a modern agricultural comprehensive industrial park integrating blueberry planting, sales and deep processing; with a thriving tourism industry developing alongside it.

In 2017, the manor received a total of 85,000 visitors from all over the country, which helped boost development of the local tourism sector.

At present, the manor has nearly 66.67 hectares of blueberry planting zones, including 40 greenhouses and more than 33.34 hectares of open-air areas.

In recent years, the manor has been promoting the deep processing of blueberries, developing products such as dried blueberries, blueberry juice and other related products.

In addition to employing local villagers, the manor has also signed agreements with local farmers, who plant blueberries and supply berries for the manor.

Zhang Jiacheng, a local villager, said that since blueberries have been planted in cooperation with the manor, villagers'incomes have increased significantly.

Jingxi blueberry manor is currently making efforts to further its economic model, bringing increased benefits to local farmers.

Blueberries at Jingxi blueberry manor in Jugezhuang town, Yantai, Shandong province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Blueberry juice produced by Jingxi blueberry manor [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]