Peach of an idea sees pears sold online

HEFEI - More than 500 metric tons of pears and yellow peaches were snapped up within one hour of being placed online recently, a feat unthinkable not so long ago in Dangshan county in Anhui province.

The county, with orchards covering more than 47,000 hectares, has been cultivating pears and peaches for over 2,500 years.

It has earned itself the title of "China's pear capital" thanks to its large planting area and high-quality fruits.

However, a bumper harvest did not always bring good returns for farmers as Dangshan is one of the least accessible areas in the province.

"I had to take my pears to the fruit market a dozen kilometers away every morning. Normally fruit dealers would force down the price if they wanted to buy," said Ji Rongzhong, 60, the owner of an orchard in Dangshan.

In bad years, a large number of pears would end up rotting on the ground due to poor infrastructure and an imbalance between supply and demand.

Ji has grown pears his whole life and never thought of selling them online until 2016 when sales of the fruit in the county were poor.

To help local farmers sell more of their produce, Xu Jing, 24, advertised them on her WeChat account.

Surprisingly, a total of 50 tons of fruit was sold in 10 days through e-commerce, shocking everyone in the community.

Nowadays, nearly all fruit farmers are embracing e-commerce in Dangshan to boost their sales and ask better prices.

"We like to hand our pears to Xu because she knows how to market them and sell them for a good price," Ji said. "Our pears have become a hit online. All we need to do is plant them."

Last year, Ji's family made 30,000 yuan ($4,225) by growing pears, a big jump from their annual income of 5,000 yuan several years ago. His family shook off poverty in 2017.

According to statistics from the county's commerce bureau, more than 1,370 e-commerce companies have been established in Dangshan so far, employing over 100,000 people in related industries. The county's e-commerce trade volume reached 4.67 billion yuan last year, lifting over 26,000 people out of poverty.

Li Juan, 30, is another beneficiary of e-commerce in the county. Li was seriously paralyzed after a fall in 2008. Despite the setback, she turned to e-commerce and created her own brand. Now she has become one of the most successful businesspeople in Dangshan.

The local government and e-commerce companies are working together to help people sell their products online and improve their livelihoods. With the help of e-commerce, the county of Dangshan officially emerged from poverty this April.