Advanced technology is being adopted to help the tomato industry flourish in the Yanqi County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with the improved farming and processing procedures enhancing efficiency, lowering costs and ensuring better quality.
With long hours of sunlight and large diurnal temperature variations, Xinjiang has optimal conditions for tomato cultivation. The region ranks among the world's top three centers for tomato processing, while tomato sauce exports from Xinjiang make up 70 percent of China's total.
With September being the peak season for tomato harvesting in Yanqi, harvest machines are roaring back and forth through the more than 5,000-plus hectares of tomato fields across the county, sorting ripe red tomatoes from unripe green ones.
Local farmers note how smart technology is helping to almost instantaneously complete this otherwise rigorous process. "There is a specialized laser selection device inside the harvester, which can identify whether a tomato is green or red. If the tomato does not meet the standards, it will be ejected," said Xu Weizhen, a local tomato farmer.
With the help of this state-of-the-art tomato selection equipment, Xu said he has contracted dozens of hectares of tomato fields this year, making previously arduous work much simpler.
"In the past, harvesting our own one or two hectares of land took more than a week due to the lack of mechanization, and labor costs were significantly higher," said Xu.
Yanqi began cultivating and processing tomatoes back in the 1950s, and the county now contributes 40 percent of Xinjiang's total tomato output.
But while the emphasis is on delivering the best and freshest produce, even unripe tomatoes will not be totally discarded, as they will instead be supplied to local skincare and healthcare companies for their antioxidant properties and ability to combat sun damage.
"We have discovered that unripe tomatoes contain hexahydro- and octahydro-lycopene, which possess greater antioxidant activity and enhanced protection against sun damage compared to traditional lycopene, making them more valuable for skincare and health products," said Wang Xueming, an agricultural engineer.
As of 2024, the areas dedicated to growing tomatoes in Xinjiang have exceeded 80,000 hectares, with the entire processing tomato industry chain now being fully mechanized.
Over 200 companies in Xinjiang are producing a wide range of tomato products, including sauces, juice, lycopene, and seed oil, which are exported to more than 70 countries and regions worldwide.
Advanced tech transforms tomato industry in rural Xinjiang county
