China has grown an entire industry out of six Tunisian pomegranate saplings

Softseed pomegranates begin to enter the Chinese market in mid to late August and since the start of sales in 2021, daily sales in Shanghai have exceeded 20 tonnes, double the figure for the same period last year. China is increasing the acreage for soft-seeded pomegranates, which are in greater demand than hard-seeded fruits. Currently, soft seed pomegranates are mainly produced in Huili, Sichuan, Dali, Yunnan and Heiying, Henan provinces. According to industry estimates, planted areas in some of the main production areas have increased significantly this year, as have all pomegranate orchards. China's national pomegranate production area is projected to reach 400,000 mu (one hectare equals 15 mu) this year, with a production volume of 700,000 tons. By comparison, the planted area for pomegranate last year was about 200,000 mu and the increase was due to the planting of soft-seeded pomegranate. The history of widespread adoption of this crop began in 1986, when Tunisia ...