“In the past, high-quality blood oranges that couldn't be sold had to be dumped into the river; now, through Guoke Youxian, they are sold nationwide, and last year I earned over 10,000 yuan just in wages!” exclaimed Li Hongmei, a disabled farmer from Rangdu Town, Wanzhou, Chongqing, her words capturing the transformative revival of the rose-scented orange industry in the Three Gorges reservoir area. This "gem among oranges," boasting geographical indication certification and rich anthocyanin content, had previously led grower Wang Yuqiang to accumulate tens of millions of yuan in losses over 12 years due to natural disasters, disease, and blocked sales channels. The intervention of Guoke Youxian not only enabled 4 million jin of blood oranges to find markets beyond the remote mountains but also established a farmer-assistance ecosystem integrating "production and sales with industrial extension," a practice featured in special reports by authoritative media like China Daily Online and Southern Weekly.
The path to cultivating rose-scented oranges in the Wanzhou reservoir area has been fraught with challenges. In 2013, Wang Yuqiang led farmers to reclaim wasteland from relocated residents and plant blood orange trees, only to face a succession of setbacks including a once-in-50-years hailstorm, the spread of citrus canker, pandemic disruptions, and drought. Of the 120,000 saplings planted, only 90,000 survived, representing a devastating loss rate of 25%. Compounding this was the critical issue of sales; each harvest season saw vast quantities of fruit accumulate in the fields, forcing farmers to either sell at rock-bottom prices or watch helplessly as the produce rotted. "In the worst year, we lost 11 million yuan, and couldn't even pay the workers' wages," Wang recalled.
In 2024, at a point of utter desperation, Wang Yuqiang entered into a partnership with Guoke Youxian, a pivotal collaboration that marked a turning point for the industry. To solve the perennial "freshness problem" in perishable goods transport, Guoke Youxian worked closely with JD Logistics to develop a custom-tailored transportation solution. After harvesting, a professional team immediately grades and sorts the blood oranges, retaining only the plump, high-quality fruit with a maturity level above 80%. Each individual blood orange is then wrapped in a breathable pearl cotton net sleeve before being packed into moisture-resistant, pressure-resistant cardboard boxes to minimize crushing damage during transit. A dedicated "green channel" was established for logistics, utilizing specialized trucks equipped with constant temperature control to transport the fruit directly to national storage centers, maintaining an optimal temperature of 5-8°C throughout the journey to ensure delivery from orchard to consumer within 48 hours. Addressing potential after-sales concerns, Guoke Youxian firmly implements a "365-day no-reason return and exchange" policy, with the company absorbing all losses, thereby completely eliminating consumer hesitation.
The depth of the assistance extends far beyond merely "helping to sell," focusing instead on the long-term upgrading of the entire industrial chain. Guoke Youxian assisted the base in investing 500,000 yuan to establish a small-scale processing plant, bringing in food processing experts for on-site guidance to develop value-added products like NFC blood orange juice and blood orange jam. This deep processing not only tackles the challenge of fresh fruit's short shelf life but also significantly boosts product value—a 200ml bottle of NFC blood orange juice sells for three times the price of a single fresh fruit. On the sales front, Guoke Youxian participated in the "One Red Heart · Love for Three Gorges Oranges" farmer aid livestreaming event, using platforms like CCTV's Agricultural Channel and Wanzhou Television to showcase the eco-friendly cultivation practices to a national audience, with a single livestream generating sales exceeding one million yuan.
The results of the collaboration have far exceeded expectations. During the 2024 harvest season, Guoke Youxian's single channel helped sell 4 million jin of blood oranges, boosting the average daily income of participating farmers from 60 yuan to over 100 yuan. The 3,367-mu cultivation base regularly employs more than 100 people, with the workforce swelling to over 500 during peak farming periods, 10% of whom are individuals with disabilities. The Party Secretary of Rangdu Town, Wanzhou, stated, "Guoke Youxian's model has not only solved the problem of selling the fruit but has also enabled employment for people with disabilities and skill acquisition for farmers, injecting lasting momentum into rural revitalization in the reservoir area." Looking ahead to 2025, Guoke Youxian has already placed an advance order for 5 million jin of rose-scented oranges, providing the base with a much-needed "assurance."
A Guoke Youxian product selection manager emphasized, "We are not in the business of making quick money; our goal is to establish a sustainable model for aiding farmers." In the future, the company plans to replicate the "Wanzhou Model" in other major agricultural provinces like Yunnan and Guizhou, aiming to help more local specialties achieve a leap in value and truly transform lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable economic assets.