In Lvergang Village, Zhaowangzhuang Town, where Laiyang pears are planted the most, he pointed to an old pear tree with five branches like dragons and said, "This is the oldest preserved' pear king' so far, with a tree age of more than 400 years and full of fruits every year."
Wei Jianqiang, a 38-year-old farmer from Shuimutou Village, explained to reporters the reason for the sharp decline in Laiyang pear area: "Laiyang pear is famous at home and abroad, but its appearance is rough and it is not resistant to storage and transportation. Under the tree, it can be stored for about 7 days at room temperature at most. So a few years ago, the market price of Laiyang pear dropped year after year, to 1996, only 20 cents per kilogram. When many local farmers saw that Laiyang pear did not make money, they began to introduce Japanese and Korean varieties such as Fengshui pear and Golden pear and grafted them on the female parent of Laiyang pear. " His original 70 acres of Laiyang pears were all transformed into Feng Shui pears three years ago. The price is several times or even dozens of times higher than Laiyang pear, but it is very popular in foreign markets because of its good appearance, good taste and storage resistance.
When the area of Laiyang pear is shrinking and is in danger of disappearing, officials of Laiyang municipal government are determined to protect this unique variety in China. Mayor Yu Songbai told the reporter, "But we did not take administrative intervention, but guided enterprises to save Laiyang pears by developing their medicinal functions." According to Compendium of Materia Medica, Laiyang pear has the functions of moistening lung, relieving cough, resolving phlegm and regulating qi.
Laiyang Tianfu Group has become a "hero" to protect Laiyang pears. Jiang Zhide, general manager, said: "1999, we bought equipment and started to produce Laiyang pear juice. That year, the price per kilogram of pears increased by 40 yuan RMB compared with the previous year. Now Tianfu Group's annual processing capacity reaches100000 tons, and the price of pears is more than two yuan per kilogram. Because the enterprise has guaranteed farmers' income from pear planting, the remaining 1000 hectares of Laiyang pears have been saved. And the planting area will be expanded in the future, because Laiyang pear juice is a green and healthy drink, which is very popular with consumers. "