Farmers in Pingdu, Qingdao, celebrate a bountiful apple harvest, with orchards brimming with ripe, juicy apples. [Photo/WeChat account: zspd0532]

The high-quality development of the fruit industry is an effective way to promote farmers' continuous income growth in Qingdao, Shandong province. It also provides important support for revitalizing rural areas and building a strong agricultural city.

In Dazeshan town, Pingdu city in Qingdao, the grape planting area has remained stable at more than 35,000 mu (2,333.33 hectares), benefiting 62,000 farming households.

The 38th China Dazeshan Grape Festival, held during the grape harvest season in this September, attracted over 800,000 visitors in two months. It generated 150 million yuan ($20.72 million) in cultural and tourism revenue and helped raise the average household income by 30,000 yuan per year.

In Hetoudian town, Qingdao's Laixi, Dongdazhai apples are exported to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries as well as Russia, with a net income per mu ranging from 20,000 to 23,000 yuan. This has increased the annual income of over 800 households in the village by more than 30 million yuan.

In Qingdao, the fruit industry is one of the pillar agricultural industries, with a stable planting area of about 570,000 mu and an annual output of about 1 million metric tons. The city has cultivated several well-known brands such as Dazeshan Grape, Huangdao Blueberry, Dongdazhai Apple, and Yunshan Cherry, which are important components of the city's stable production and supply system.

Additionally, orchards are an important part for rural vitalization because they double as large gardens, parks, and amusement parks, with high added value, good economic benefits, and significant ecological benefits.