Chongqing Tongnan District was recently designated as "China's Ecological Lemon Capital" eco-product regional public brand on the National Ecological Day and Regional Public Brand Development Conference of Ecological Food Ingredients.

The awarding scene of the activity. (Photo/Tongnan District)

The conference aimed to gather wisdom and resources for developing the public brand for ecological ingredients by showcasing typical cases of the value realization of ecological ingredient products and promoting practical and compelling experiences.

The conference also held an award ceremony for transforming the value of ecological products. Tongnan District was awarded the “China’s Ecological Lemon Capital” eco-product regional public brand.

Tongnan lemon seedling breeding center. (Photo/Wang Huaqiao)

In recent years, Tongnan District has adhered to the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," actively cultivating the regional public brand of lemon industry ecological products, making efforts to promote the transformation of ecological industry value results, and striving to achieve sustainable development of the ecological industry. 

According to the idea of "large-scale planting, standardized production, intelligent empowerment, brand cultivation," Tongnan District has made the lemon industrial chain, value chain, and ecological chain bigger and stronger. It has not only built the largest high-standard modern lemon seedling breeding center in Southwest China but also approved and built a lemon industry research institute, a postdoctoral research workstation, a lemon engineering technology center, and other scientific research platforms. Through these methods, the district has promoted the continuous innovation of lemon planting technology and the diversified development of lemon deep processing products, greatly enhancing lemons' comprehensive output value and market competitiveness.

Tongnan lemon products entered the Thai markets through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. （Photo/Publicity Department of Tongnan District Committee）

The lemon planting area in Tongnan District has reached 320,000 mu (about 213 square kilometers), with an annual output of 350,000 tons of fresh fruit in 2023 and an annual comprehensive output value of more than 7.5 billion yuan (about 1.05 billion U.S. dollars). Tongnan District has realized the whole industry chain coverage from seedling cultivation and standardized planting to intensive processing and marketing, driving more than 100,000 rural households to increase income continually. Fruit farmers become richer as small lemons become a "big industry." 

Winning the honor of "China's Ecological Lemon Capital" ecological regional public brand is a high recognition of the development of the lemon industry in Tongnan District, which further improves the popularity and reputation of the Tongnan lemon brand. Tongnan District will adhere to the road of ecological industry development, enhancing the connotation of high-quality economic development and actively integrating it into the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. By expanding a new space of high-level opening in serving and supporting Chongqing to build an inland opening in an international cooperation leading zone, Tongnan Lemon, "China's first lemon brand," will be renowned throughout the country and around the world.