Xinjiang focuses on future of local plum industry

An industry conference on xinmei, a variety of European plum developed locally in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was held in the fruit's primary production hub earlier this week.

The conference, organized by the China Fruit Marketing Association and Kashgar prefecture's xinmei industry association, gathered officials, scholars and representatives from more than 300 fruit enterprises from around China in Jiashi county on Thursday and Friday.

Jiashi county now grows 38,000 hectares of xinmei, of which 30,000 hectares are bearing fruit. This year's output is estimated at 410,000 metric tons. The county accounts for half of China's total xinmei planting area and 70 percent of national production, making it the country's largest xinmei production and marketing base. The industry's full-chain value has surpassed 10 billion yuan ($1.48 billion).

In 2025, Jiashi Xinmei was designated a nationally protected geographical indication product.

During Thursday's opening ceremony, Kong Weixiong, the county's Party secretary, said Jiashi enjoys abundant sunlight and mildly alkaline soils rich in trace elements such as selenium, calcium and potassium, which contribute to the fruit's relatively high selenium content.

Kong added that the county has established a full-process digital oversight system, promoted targeted fertilization based on soil testing and the use of green organic fertilizers, and built a standardized production base for green food raw materials certified by the China Green Food Development Center.

Lu Fangxiao, president of the China Fruit Marketing Association, called for enhanced branding for Jiashi Xinmei, unifying standards and specifications, and increased marketing efforts, with the goal of establishing the fruit as a signature brand of Xinjiang.

The conference featured discussions on xinmei's medicinal and edible applications, storage and processing, germplasm innovation, selenium-resource development and market expansion.

Initiatives to standardize and regulate the xinmei industry were also launched, while the opening of a research and application center on selenium-rich resources in Northwest China and a biomedicine innovation base of Xinjiang's regional institute of materia medica was announced.

Jiashi's xinmei industry currently creates 200,000 jobs across planting, harvesting, sorting, cold-chain storage, processing and sales.

According to Kawuljan Tayir, head of the county's Sharpetule town, the town has planted 5,400 hectares of xinmei, with an estimated output of 67,000 tons this harvest season. More than a hundred merchants have set up purchasing bases locally, with around 6,000 tons expected to be exported.

The harvest is projected to generate 11,000 jobs for residents, helping them earn an additional 7,000 yuan each on average, he added.