CHINA: Chinese government vows to clean up its food market, Huaxi showcases its giant vegetables it claims are organically grown
- 00:02:48
- ITN Source
CHINA: Chinese government vows to clean up its food market, Huaxi showcases its giant vegetables it claims are organically grown
Giant pumpkins and purple peppers can only be found in China's Jiangsu province. Located along the Yangtze River Delta, the Huaxi Modern Agricultural Garden is attracting a lot of attention from around the country because of its unusual looking fruits and vegetables. Two years ago, when the local village officials invested 72 million U.S. dollars to build this garden, the farmers thought the idea was absurd. But when people from nearby villages, who have been farming their whole lives saw the completed garden, they couldn't believe their eyes. The garden processes about 250 types of fruits and vegetables. But in China's Garden of Eden, things grow differently. The King pumpkin weighs about 130 kilograms and luffas grow up to two metres long. For one U.S. dollars, tourists may viewed the unusual selections of produce. Wu Jinfu, manager of the Huaxi Modern Agricultural Garden said they didn't expect to make money from the special garden. "I never thought a place like this would actually make money. We wanted to promote the idea of scientific farming. Agriculture needs modernization as well," Wu said. As China's food safety scandals made world news headlines, fear of "eating away your health" has made organic food a hot commodity. The 85 square kilometre agricultural park's soil produces fruits and vegetables for supermarkets. But the price is double regular fruits and vegetables. A group of 22 village chiefs from Hebei Province sat in a bus for 15 hours to come and see the wonders of modern agriculture. The area they are from supplies parts of Beijing with fruits and vegetables. Yu Jinhui, local official of Cangzhou, Hebei Province, said with new technology, they would be able to triple farmers' income. "Where I am from, we only offer low end agricultural products. There was nothing high end. So there is little profit. When I got here, I realized, how impressive farming can be," Yu said. Local officials traveled to Beijing in 2005 to poach experts from research institutes to develop the technology. These experts, along with trained farmers are the secret behind the garden. Wu Xiajuan worked for a researched center in Beijing. "I hope this can be an eye opener for the tourists. I don't expect them to glance over and know how to do everything once they return home. I want to lead the way. Just like how we sometimes get to go on a study tour overseas, I want to show them another way," Wu said. Wu helped grow a super tomato tree, where 1000 kilogrammes of tomatoes were harvested. Wu also showed off her palm-sized watermelons. When asked if the big and small fruits were genetically modified, managers denied it. .
ITN Source | December 4, 2007
