The High-Quality Agriculture

    The warm and moist climate and the fertile land supply the favorable conditions for the production of the excellent farms and sideline products in the city of Ningde. Mingdong( East Fujian) is one of the important areas for growing tea and edible fungi in China. The production output of tremella and mushroom ranks the first in the country. There are various kinds of fruits in this area, such as, the year-round shaddocks, Yunai(a kind of plums), Chinese chestnuts, lotus plums, honey peaches, late-ripening litchi and longans, etc.
The vast mountainous land and advantageous climate conditions are beneficial to the development of forestry. Up to 1999,the woodland has covered 848,200 hectares and the forestry coverage rate is 65.2%. In the course of forestation, the system of the protective coastline-forest is being built and the comprehensive exploitation of the mountains has begun. By the end of 1999,the backbone projects of the protective forest along the coast have reached 54,100 hectares. Most of the protecting-trees along the coast(about 1045km) have been joined. Owning to this "Green Great Wall", excellent results of ecologic, economic and social values have been achieved. The comprehensive exploitation of the mountainous areas leads to the establishment of the bases of trees, fruit and bamboo, which is of compartmentalization of the layout, intensive management, and highly qualified varieties. The system of the forestry production, management and processing have been formed initially. Concurrently, people have a good development in forestry production. The bamboo grove has reached 60,000 hectares with an annual output of 6 million bamboo materials. Fu'an, the home of the green bamboos, takes vigorous measures to build " the 50-km-long green bamboo corridor". The green bamboo base has extended to 3400 hectares and the output of green bamboo shoots takes up more than 60% of that of Fujian Province. In addition, the special economic forest has a fast growth,which covers 93,300 hectares including the fruit trees area of 34,300 hectares. Lots of economic forests have been regarded as "money trees" in some counties, and also as a breakthrough for earning export exchange. In Gutian, 4,300 hectares of Yunai plums trees have been planted and the annual output ranks the first in Fujian Province. In Fuding, a four-season pomelo base of 1,300 hectares has been set up. The four-season pomelo of Fuding is well-known all over the world. The biggest Chinese chestnut base in Fujian Province, which covers 1,100 hectares, is located in Shouning. A late-ripening litchi and longan trees belt of 4300 hectares has been planted on the hills along the coast of Jiaocheng District and Xiapu County. There are 21,300 hectares of Yunai plum bases in the whole city and the annual output takes the top position in the province. In Fu'an, which is named "the green oil depot", a key base of woody commercial oil has been built.
Tea has long been an important prosperity in Ming Dong District. Up to 1999,tea has been planted in every village of Ningde City. The area of the tea plantation reaches 46,300 hectares and the output of the green tea takes up 10.5% of that of the country. More than 1.2 million people go in for tea growing, processing, packing, transportation, selling and the related tertiary industry in the direct or indirect ways. People in Mingdong have got satisfactory achievements in tea planting, tea variety screening, processing, founding famous brands and non-pollution tea bases. The average per unit output has ranked the advanced position in China. There is a rich variety of tea in Mingdong, including 6 excellent varieties of National standard, and 7 excellent varieties of Provincial standard, which take up 45% and 47% of those of Fujian Province. The protection of tea-trees has now moved to comprehensive protection and biological prevention. Some new technologies have also been applied to actual production. Non-polluted tea plantations and green food bases are now in flourish. Altogether, about 6667 hectares of demonstrative bases of tea plantation and 667 hectares of green food bases have been set up all around the city. Four tea brands have been labeled as "green food". Far-infared bakers, constant-temperature and humidity system are being used for tea processing. 
Tea boasts a long history of production in Mingdong that introduces many well-known brands. According to statistics, ever since 1985,170 tea-products have won the provincial awards and Ministry awards, among which are "Tianshan Silver-needle Tea" of Ningde, "Baihao Sliver Needle Tea" of Fuding, "Fenghuangshe Brand(Phoenix's tongue)" of Shouning, "Lianyue Flower Tea" of Fu'an, "Xianyan Snow Peak" of Zhelong, etc. There sprung up several leading enterprises, such as the Tea Company of Ningde, the Land-reclaimable Limited Tea Company of Fu'an, the Tianhe Limited Tea Company of Fuding and some well-known brands like "Juling Tea". There are about 170 professional skilled staffs in the whole city, including 17 professional staffs with the advanced titles. A scientific and technologic team properly composed of the junior, intermediate and senior professional staffs has been formed.
In order to develop the high-quality agriculture, and optimize the agricultural structure, Ningde municipal government sets three key developing regions as the demonstrative regions of high-quality agriculture: the "Three-hi-tech" Agricultural Demonstration Region of Jiaocheng District, the Cross-straits Agricultural Cooperation Demonstration Region of Dianxia in Fuding City, the Demonstration Region of the Comprehensive Development of Aquaticulture.
"San Gao (three-hi-tech)" Modern Agricultural Demonstration Region of Jiaocheng District in Ningde City: This region is located near the Zhangwan interchange of Funing Express Highway and the No.104 National Highway, less than 3 km away from the Zhangwan container harbor. Because of the convenient land and water communication, the perfect water conservancy facilities, the mild climate, the abundant rainfall and the rich soil, this region is suitable for the comprehensive development of modern agriculture and the regular growth of different kinds of crops. The 10,000-mu-planned-area will be built into eight functional sections: that is 4,525 mu for modern rice cultivation area, 200 mu for unpolluted green-food base, 1,000mu for excellent economic crops district, 50 mu for modern and rare fowl and livestock area, 50 mu for rice-nursery base, 2025 mu for modern aquiculture base, 300mu for Ningde-Taiwan agricultural introduction center, 1,100 mu for fresh food processing district.
The Cross-straits Cooperation Demonstrative Region
Located in Ximei of Dianxia in Fuding City and 150 miles away from the Jilong Harbor of Taiwan, this region is characterized by a middle marine monsoon climate of subtropical zone. The land is rich and fertile. The climate is mild. There is abundant water. The annual average temperature is 18.5℃ with a frost-free period lasting 296 days. The annual average rainfall is 1858.5mm.The cultivated land area in the region is 28,000 mu, including 20,000 mu paddy field. This demonstration region is aimed for developing agriculture and cooperating with Taiwan across the Taiwan Straits in the new century. Relying on the technologic development, the region will speed up the development of the high-quality agriculture, thus build the region as a functional one with the capabilities of cultivating improved varieties of rice, demonstrating excellent high-quality agriculture, processing the farm products, restoring, transporting and selling the farm products, and developing green foods and geological projects.
Demonstrative Region of the Comprehensive Development of Aquatic culture
Located in the southeast, about 6 km to the County of Xiapu, near the Coastal Expressway and No.104 National Highway under construction, and the Wenzhou-Fuzhou Railway to be constructed, this region enjoys good infrastructure, such as, water, electricity, transportation, and communication. The sea area in Xiapu County is the important fishery base of Fujian Province, which covers 28,900 km2 .The total area of the shallow sea is 28,400 mu, which is to be built as projects of the enclosed tideland for cultivation, the construction project of the central market of aquatic products of Mingdong, the construction project of the 3,000-tonnage fishery harbor, the highly technologic cultivation base, the big cage sea farming base, the marine fishing production base, the marine and fresh water cultivation base of well-known, special aquatic products, the culturing base of biological bait, the three-dimensional fishery aquatic culture base, complete and compound aquatic feeder, the three comprehensive processing project of fish, shrimp, shellfish and alga, etc.