Rongan county, located in a picturesque region in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is experiencing an economic transformation powered by kumquat cultivation and processing industries, driving the local economy and empowering residents to achieve wealth and prosperity.

Rongan kumquats date back to 1758 when the county brought kumquats from Suichuan county in Jiangxi province. In 2014, local agricultural researchers developed a new variety called the "cuimi kumquat". It is the only polyploidy kumquat variety that can be grown at scale worldwide, Guangxi Daily reported.

"People often joke that there are only two kinds of kumquat in the world: the Rongan kumquat and all the other kumquats," said Huang Huaqiang, director of the Rongan agriculture and rural affairs bureau.

In 2007, Rongan kumquats were awarded a national geographical indication certification. In 2022, they were included in the second batch of protected geographical indication products under the China-EU agreement on geographical indications.

In 2023, the planted area of Rongan kumquats reached 221,000 mu (14,733 hectares), with an estimated total output of 250,000 tons. The value of the entire industry chain exceeded 6.5 billion yuan ($914 million), benefiting over 100,000 people in the county.

The success of the Rongan kumquat is also attributed to the help of other regions. Through the east-west cooperation mechanism, Rongan and Suixi county in Guangdong province invested 66.76 million yuan to promote the kumquat industry.

On Nov 8, four processing enterprises from Rongan signed purchase contracts with eight Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area buyers at a kumquat promotion event in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The contracts carry a value of 66.6 million yuan.

The county opened an agricultural product processing industrial park in 2019 to extend the industrial chain. The park introduced five kumquat deep processing enterprises, which developed more than 20 series of branded deep processed products. The sales revenue exceeded 200 million yuan.

Chen Xiaodong, director of the Rongan supply and marketing cooperative association council, said the county will double its efforts in attracting investment, focusing on medical development and application, kumquat essential oil extraction and drink development for industrial upgrades and high-quality development.

By Wang Songsong