China: “The best rambutan comes from Baoting”

The rambutan is sweet, aromatic and rich in vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates and numerous minerals. It is a fruit typical of tropical regions and is widespread in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. However, in China it is only grown on a large scale in the Baoting region of Hainan.

Baoting, the only region suitable for large-scale cultivation
“The rambutan requires a warm and humid climate at low altitudes, and only if the temperature never drops below 17 ° C, the cultivation will begin.” Baoting County is bordered to the north by Mount Wuzhi and to the south by Sanya. Between 20.7 ° C and 24.3 ° C, with rains of between 1800 and 2300 mm a year. This moderate climate with abundant rain allows this to be the only region suitable for large-scale cultivation, “says Mr. Lin, from Farmers and Fruit Craftsmen Agricultural Development in Hainan.

“Our rambutan cultivation area can not be compared to that of the Southeast Asian countries, but our quality is better. Our rambutan is not only juicier but also tastier, and can reach up to 23 Brix. , Baoting rambutan received a trademark certificate as proof that it is a national regional product. ”

The rambutan travels beyond Hainan
“The rambutan is a fruit with very high transport needs.If the temperature is not properly controlled during transport, the bright red skin of the rambutan turns black, which greatly influences its price. Years, when the logistics of cold was not well developed, could sell very little rambutan outside of Hainan. ”

“In recent years, we have experimented with some techniques to prolong the shelf life of fresh fruits, for example, we harvest before dawn, which prevents the appearance of steam, then we pack in cold at an early stage and add ice In order to preserve the quality of the product, we require that the entire process, from harvest to delivery to the customer, never last more than 48 hours.At present, our rambutan not only Travels beyond Hainan, but even reaches Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. ”

Lower production, but same quality in 2016
“Due to the cold of the beginning of the year, much rambutan fell from the trees.” This has not only reduced the volume of production, but the rambutan has also matured almost a month later. Finished last September, but this year we have not started harvesting until the middle of August. Last week came the typhoon, so we estimate that we will not start shipping until early November. ”

“However, although the volume of production is small, the quality of rambutan in our crop base remains the same. In retrospect, the high production requirement is what has helped us. Cultivation in the hands of farmers with many years of experience At the same time, we have also persisted in the organic cultivation, which guarantees the quality of the rambutan from the beginning, thus the rambutan is much more resistant in the cold. Is higher, so selling them naturally is also easier. ”

Hainan Farmers and Fruit Craftsmen Agricultural Development
The company was founded in 2016. The precursors were Hainan Qishanying Agricultural Development, Sanya Haitang Bay Jiayuan Cooperative Farmers and Sanya Haitang Bay Xinnong Xiangyuan Cooperative Farmers. The members of the company are local farmers. At present, they have more than 133 hectares in which mangos, lychees, pomarrosas, longanes and rambutanes are grown. The variety of rambutan cultivated is, mainly, number 7.

The team inspecting the flowers of the mangoes

Following the demands of the market and the development of the industry, Farmers and Craftsmen became a company with a model consisting of a company, a cooperative, a farming base and farmers. In this way, the quality of the product is effectively controlled and the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers is greatly restricted to guarantee that quality. At the same time, the company has created an Internet sales and service team. With the use of internet, you can do without middlemen and the fruits of Hainan, produced by true traditional farmers, can be delivered directly from the field to the customer’s home.