China's delicate waxberries go global with smart logistics support

HANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Waxberry, one of China's most delicate fruits, typically stays fresh for less than two days at room temperature after being picked, making it hard for people outside its growing regions to enjoy it at its best.

But on Wednesday, a batch of deep-red waxberries began an unexpected journey from the orchards in Xianju County of east China's Zhejiang Province to a far-off destination, the French capital city of Paris.

Thanks to recent efforts to expand its reach, waxberries are now making their way far beyond the misty hills where they have grown for centuries, spreading across China and even reaching international markets.

In June, the hills of Dazhan Township in Xianju County begin to glow as early as 3 a.m. At first glance, the scattered lights might look like stars. But a climb up the narrow mountain paths reveals the truth that the flickers come from the headlamps of waxberry pickers, already hard at work in the pre-dawn dark.

So delicate they verge on fragile, waxberries must be harvested with great care. "To lock in the sweetness and freshness, we have to start picking before dawn," said Chen Tao from Xiandai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. "The goal is to get the berries into cold storage before the sun comes up and the heat sets in."

In Xianju County, often called the "Hometown of the Waxberry in China," June marks the peak of the waxberry season. But for the pickers and producers behind the fruit, the real challenge is just beginning.

To boost farmers' income while preserving the region's ecology, local growers have embraced a circular agriculture model. Chickens roam the orchards, feeding on pests and weeds beneath the trees, while their droppings help fertilize the soil.

Yet the terraced hillsides, ideal for this method, offer no easy path. The harvest starts before sunrise, and without any streetlights in the mountains, workers depend on the faint glow of their headlamps to find their way.

Even in the early hours, they must sort the fruit as they go, discarding berries that don't meet size standards, making each climb not only exhausting but also daunting.

To ensure the safety of pickers navigating the steep slopes, local growers have embraced a new solution, using drones that buzz between treetops and trails to carry small loads of freshly picked waxberries down to the foothills.

For larger loads, motorized rail carts glide along steel tracks, spiraling down the hillsides like silver lifelines woven through the green.

But reaching the ground is only the first hurdle for the fruit. Once unloaded, the freshly harvested waxberries are quickly taken to nearby processing plants for a high-tech inspection called spectral sorting. "At our plant alone, we sort about five tonnes of waxberries every day," Chen said.

At the factory, waxberries are sorted by size and categorized into different grades and packaging types.

As one of the largest waxberry exporters in Xianju County, Xiandai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. operates an 800-square-meter cold storage facility equipped with a fully automatic air-controlled packaging system.

The system features temperature-controlled sorting, weight calibration, and freshness locking, all of which are crucial in addressing the fruit's notoriously short shelf life.

To keep waxberries fresh when they're sent across China and abroad, logistics companies plan ahead so farmers can ship their fruit straight from the village.

For example, SF Express uses a combination of special cargo flights and fast passenger routes to speed up delivery. In the mountainous waxberry orchards, the company also uses drones to handle the toughest part of the journey, getting the fruit down from the hills.

Supported by more than 700 pickup stations, the courier company's 30,000-square-meter waxberry-specific sorting hub handles up to 288,000 parcels per day, which are shipped to over 200 destinations.

JD Logistics, another major player, has improved its waxberry delivery system this season by introducing mobile sorting vehicles that operate directly in the orchards.

The logistics company's farm-to-door cold-chain model uses smart temperature control and real-time scheduling to reduce delays. The system can sort over 5,000 fresh fruit orders per hour, giving Xianju's waxberries a vital advantage in reaching the market quickly.

Retailers are also playing their part. "The first batch of waxberries actually ripened around June 5," said Guo Yongzhi, a local seller and orchard owner. "But I waited until June 7 to ship them. It's not about rushing for profit; it's about waiting for the flavor to reach its peak."

As the dawn mist lifts from the terraced slopes of Xianju, crates of waxberries begin their silent journey, moving from hillside to highway and from sorting line to sky, reaching a more distant destination. ■