Specialty fruits sold in parks

Fruits from suburban Shanghai are now available for sale in six downtown parks, the local greenery authority announced.

Local specialties such as Malu grapes, Nanhui peaches and Songjiang pears are being sold at Shanghai Botanical Garden in Xuhui District, Yangpu Park in Yangpu District, Jinqiao Park in Pudong New Area, Huangxing Park in Yangpu District, Zhongshan Park in Changning District, and Gongqing Forest Park in Yangpu District. More parks are expected to join in the sales scheme later.

Sales will run daily between 6am and 10am through September 20, weather permitting, according to the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau.

Ripened fruit will be sent to the parks directly after picking, ensuring freshness and keeping prices low, the bureau said.

Officials also note that fruit yields this summer should exceed those from last year. Below average precipitation during the plum rain season, combined with recent hot temperatures, should translate into sweater than usual fruit as well.

Shanghai boasts 235,000 mu of fruit-bearing forests and orchards, including 66,000 mu for cultivating peaches, 59,000 mu for grapes, and 26,000 mu for growing pears, according to the Shanghai Forestry Station. Fruit production in Shanghai this year is expected to reach about 300,000 tons.