Donggang City in northeast China has consolidated its position as the country's largest strawberry production and export base, supported by a stable planting area and extensive grower participation. The strawberry sector forms a core component of local horticulture in Donggang, located in Liaoning Province.
Strawberry cultivation in Donggang covers a stable planting area of approximately 200,000 mu, equivalent to about 13,333 hectares. Production is spread across more than 100,000 farming households, highlighting the crop's role in both commercial supply chains and household-level farm income.
The production system combines protected cultivation and open field infrastructure, with extensive use of greenhouses. Greenhouse operations support season extension, yield control, and quality consistency, enabling Donggang strawberries to serve both domestic markets and export channels. Processing centres, breeding facilities, and research institutes are integrated into the local production landscape, supporting varietal development and post harvest handling.
Strawberry processing facilities in the city handle grading and preparation for market, while breeding institutes focus on plant material suited to local growing conditions. These facilities contribute to maintaining output stability across seasons and strengthening the link between research and commercial production.
Local authorities in Donggang have increased investment in the supporting framework around the strawberry sector. This includes talent development programs aimed at improving technical capacity at the grower and management level, brand-building initiatives to position Donggang strawberries in domestic and export markets, and financing support targeted at production, infrastructure, and value chain development.
The combination of scale, research capacity, and institutional backing has allowed Donggang to maintain consistent planting levels while upgrading production systems. The focus on structured development reflects a broader shift within China's horticultural sector towards coordinated regional production hubs.
With a large, organised grower base and continued public sector involvement, Donggang remains a reference point for strawberry production within China. The city's model illustrates how planting scale, greenhouse infrastructure, and integration of research and processing can underpin a specialised fruit economy.
Source: Xinhua
