Fresh Strawberry insights

On January 21, 2025, the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Changping District Agricultural Service Center of Beijing signed a strawberry technology cooperation agreement in Beijing. Director Cao Ke attended the signing ceremony and conducted on-site research on the development of the strawberry industry in Changping District. At the signing ceremony, the strawberry germplasm improvement team of the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute introduced the excellent characteristics of new strawberry varieties such as Zhongmei Huayue, Zhongmei Xiangyu, and Zhongmei No. 6, and comprehensively promoted the strawberry scientific and technological achievements of our institute. Cao Ke pointed out that the cooperation between the two parties will take the "Zhongmei" series of strawberry new variety rights as the starting point, integrate their respective resource advantages, and carry out all-round scientific and technological cooperation around strawberry breeding, new variety introduction, seedling breeding, etc., and jointly undertake the "(Changping) 2023 Rural Comprehensive Reform Pilot Project" to support the high-quality development of the strawberry industry in Changping District and jointly create a display platform and efficient production demonstration park for new strawberry varieties, new technologies, new products, and new models. (Correspondent: Qi Wenli)

The Rural Development Administration announced that it will visit farming sites suffering from successive cold waves and heavy snow to assess the damage and mobilize available resources to provide technical support. In relation to this, Kwon Cheol-hee, Director of the Rural Support Bureau of the Rural Development Administration, visited strawberry and pig farms in Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do on the 5th to inspect the damage from the heavy snow and identify the technical support needs needed on the site. Director Kwon said, “With severe cold weather forecasted throughout this week, we need to take extra care than ever to prevent freezing damage to crops and increase the immunity of livestock.” He added that central and local rural development agencies will further expand and strengthen on-site technical support and customized guidance.

Most of the strawberries grown in Taunggyi and Khobang in southern Shan State are Taiwanese and local varieties. A strawberry seller in Khobang said that the price of a basket of strawberries is now 15,000 kyats. If the basket is smaller, it can be bought for 10,000 or 12,000 kyats. The cheapest one is 7,000 kyats. The price of strawberries has risen this year because the investment cost has also risen. Among the strawberry varieties, the Taiwanese variety is the best-selling and very popular. Similarly, local varieties are also selling well. It is understood that if the strawberries are boiled into strawberry jam and sold, a bottle sells for 15,000 kyats, which is higher than before. Currently, a large number of strawberries are grown in Taunggyi and Khobang areas. Strawberries are generally picked and sold in the cold season. In addition, the price of Japanese sweet strawberries is 23,000 kyats per bunch, and if a basket of 5 bunches is packed, the price is as high as 105,000 kyats. Now is the period when the price of strawberries is relatively high. It is said that the strawberry varieties produced in the Khobang area are very famous, and many people like them, and everyone will make reservations in advance.