Basic Introduction to Wengong Loquat
Wengong Loquat is a specialty of Renshou County, Sichuan Province. Wengong Loquat is a unique variety in Renshou County. It is produced at the southern foot of Mount Ertuo in Renshou County, Sichuan, and is renowned for its “large fruit, bright color, thin skin, thick flesh, tenderness, abundant juice, delicious taste, and dense texture.” It has high yields per plant, large fruits, high sugar content, and unique flavor, with very high nutritional and medicinal value. In 2010, it was granted geographical indication protection by the Ministry of Agriculture of China.
Nutritional Value
1. The organic acids contained in loquats can stimulate digestive glands to secrete, which plays a significant role in stimulating appetite, aiding digestion and absorption, quenching thirst, and relieving summer heat.
2. Loquats contain amygdalin, which can moisten the lungs, relieve cough, and expel phlegm, effective against various types of coughs.
3. Loquat fruits and leaves have an inhibitory effect on influenza viruses. Regular consumption can prevent seasonal colds. Loquats are rich in various nutrients needed by the human body and are nutritious health fruits. They are rich in fiber, pectin, carotene, malic acid, citric acid, potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B, and C. Rich in vitamin B and carotene, they protect vision, maintain healthy and supple skin, promote the healthy development of children, and contain vitamin B17, an anti-cancer nutrient!
In addition to the fruits, loquat leaves and loquat seeds are also commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. Loquat leaves have the functions of clearing lung and stomach heat, reducing qi, and transforming phlegm, used for lung heat dry cough, stomach pain, nosebleeds, and stomach heat vomiting. Loquat seeds are used for hernia, eliminating edema, and benefiting joints.
Product Features
Wengong Loquat is renowned for its “large fruit, bright color, thin skin, thick flesh, tenderness, abundant juice, delicious taste, and dense texture.” It has high yields per plant, large fruits, high sugar content, and a unique flavor, with very high nutritional and medicinal value. The fruits are round or ovate, with an average single fruit weight of about 50g. The fruit peel and flesh are orange to orange-red, and the fruit peel is easy to peel. The fruit calyx aperture is open, star-shaped with deep depression. The flesh is thick, tender, juicy, with a concentrated, sweet flavor, slightly acidic, containing 3-5 seeds per fruit. Its soluble solids content is 70-76%, total acidity ≤0.45%, solid-to-acid ratio ≥30:1, edible rate around 70-76%, and contains higher amounts of total sugars, making it very popular.
Historical Folklore
Wengong Loquat is a unique variety in Renshou County. From local indigenous loquats improved until 1988, during this period, due to the initial planting by individual farmers, the technology was backward, the fruit quality was poor, the prices were low, and there was no own brand. The Renshou County Party Committee and Government worked hard to promote the scale cultivation of loquats, inviting experts to teach planting skills, building cement roads, constructing fruit markets, forming loquat associations, and investing more than 3 million yuan in infrastructure alone. However, farmers in the planting areas did not dare to plant on a large scale due to concerns such as non-standard planting of loquats, uneven fruit sizes, non-uniform sales, and low returns, let alone forming their own brands.
In 1989, due to the “Central Sichuan Fruit Tree Project,” led by Wu Hanzhu, experts from the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences came to the barren mountains and wild ridges of Wengong. After careful soil and water surveys, the experts gave a “diagnosis:” Wengong belongs to Jurassic shale, with a subtropical monsoon climate, extremely suitable for the growth of loquats. The experts planted the first Daxingxing loquat seedling in Feiyue Village with shovels. The following year, when Wengong's superior loquats were launched, the unprecedentedly high prices caused a sensation. Since then, the people of Renshou targeted market demand, advancing towards scale cultivation. That year, 160 farmers planted loquats, covering 800 acres, with annual income from loquat cultivation reaching 40 million yuan.
In 1992, under the guidance of experts, the introduction and selection of superior varieties to scale cultivation solved problems such as mixed original varieties and degraded quality, especially the research and promotion of technological improvements for the Daxingxing variety, winning multiple provincial, municipal, and county science and technology progress awards, forming unique qualities. Wengong Loquat gradually spread throughout the entire county. Over more than 20 years of persistent development, a preliminary regional fruit pattern of “Southern Pears, Northern Loquats, Eastern and Western Citrus, Central Peaches and Jujubes” was constructed. By 2010, Renshou had built a high-quality loquat base of 200,000 mu (approximately 13333 hectares) centered around towns such as Wengong, Aoling, Dahua, with 123,000 mu (approximately 8200 hectares) of national green food raw material standardized bases.
The base scale continuously expanded. Since the promotion of Wengong Loquat across the county in the 1990s, by 2010, scale planting key base towns including Wengong, Aoling, Dahua, Gufu, Gaojia, and others had been established, covering a suitable production area of 13,333 hectares, with ten key bases and 40 specialized villages. During peak production periods, output could reach over 80,000 tons, with a value of 860 million yuan, becoming the largest loquat production base county in Southwest China, achieving a domestic market share of 21.6%.
Processing enterprises continuously strengthened. Relying on abundant green loquat raw materials, three agricultural industrialization leading enterprises were introduced and cultivated: “Furen Yuan Technology,” “Jiangling Food,” and “Zhuoyu Pharmaceutical,” engaged in the production of loquat beverages, dried loquat fruits, and loquat health products, processing over 5,000 tons of fresh loquats annually.
Specialized cooperative organizations continuously developed. Seven loquat industry specialized cooperative organizations were cultivated, mainly including the “Renshou County Green Food Association,” “Wengong Loquat Association,” and “Renshou County Nonteng Fruit Industry Co., Ltd.,” with cooperative organization members reaching 17,800 households, driving 36,800 farming households. The “Wengong Town Loquat Association” became one of the “Top 100 Rural Specialized Technical Associations in China.”
The brand reputation grew stronger. Wengong Loquat successively received titles such as “National Standardized Production Demonstration Zone” and “National Green Food Raw Material (Loquat) Standardized Production Base”; “Wengong Loquat” was registered as a trademark by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in August 2002.
The degree of standardized production increased. In 2010, the demonstration area for standardized production reached 4,600 hectares, passing certification for pollution-free agricultural products origin, national green food origin, and national green food. The earliest local standard for loquat production in Sichuan Province, the “Renshou County Wengong Loquat Local Standard,” was formulated. Wengong Loquat successfully registered the “Wengong” and other brands, with products sold far and wide to major cities inside and outside the province, including Hong Kong, Guangdong, Beijing, and Shanghai.
Awards and Honors for Wengong Loquat
Wengong Loquat won the title of “Quality Product” awarded by the Provincial Department of Agriculture at the 2002 China West Agricultural Exposition; in 2007, it won the Silver Award for “Sichuan Tourist Souvenirs” and the title of the First “Sichuan Excellent Tourism Product” Brand; in 2008, it was awarded the title of “Sichuan Famous Brand Agricultural Product” by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture and the Sichuan Famous