In sour lemons, China has a sweet spot

Thirty-seven deals across the lemon industry chain — valued at 27.7 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) were signed at the 2023 China (Tongnan) Lemon Industry Development Conference on Monday in Chongqing's Tongnan district.

The signing ceremony attracted foreign companies and institutions from Mongolia, Malaysia and Argentina, including the Mongolia China Korea Health Product and Wellness Business Council and Chinese companies such as Chongqing Huida Lemon Technology Group, a leading lemon deep-processing company based in Tongnan.

At the conference, the latest research report on the development of China's lemon industry was released by the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

According to Wang Guogang, a researcher at the institute who released the report, the planting area and production of lemons have grown globally, with the Americas and Asia having more than 80 percent of the world's total between them.