Recently, Prof. Deng Xiuxin, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), took on a new role as an anchor at a live broadcasting studio of an e-commerce platform. It was part of his latest attempt to promote farmers’ sales of Zigui navel oranges, something he has been doing for the past few decades.

Deng Xiuxin (left) (Photo via the Chinese Academy of Engineering)

“Science and epidemic prevention and strict quality control ensure that fruits in (central China’s) Hubei province are safe," he said, as he explained various aspects such as growing, taste, edible value and popular science knowledge. 30,000 kilograms of navel oranges were sold during the live broadcast.

"Oranges come mainly from mountainous areas, many of which are poor regions. We've been working with oranges for decades, and we've been working in poor areas, trying to get people to enjoy the benefits of growing oranges," said Deng.

Zigui county in Hubei province has been growing navel oranges for more than 2,000 years. But due to the uniformity of the variety and the limited time in which the oranges can hit the market, prices for Zigui navel oranges fell at one point to as low as 0.6 yuan (8 U.S. cents) per kilogram.

As a result, Deng, who was still working in Huazhong Agricultural University, advocated breeding high-quality varieties.

"The promotion of science and technology must pay attention to the economic benefits, and only technologies that can raise farmers’ incomes should be favored," said Deng, noting that Zigui county should make full use of its advantages in resources.

Realizing that one of Zigui county’s biggest advantages lies in its climatic conditions, Deng introduced some late-maturing varieties to fill the gap in the market. Thanks to these efforts, the price of Zigui navel oranges has seen a significant rise.

Previously, all oranges were picked during the ripening season in November and December. Now, harvest times go from November to May. Farmers’ incomes per mu (about 667 square meters) have gone from about 5,000 yuan to more than 10,000 yuan, and even up to 20,000 yuan.

When he’s not in the laboratory, Deng spends at least 50 days a year in orchards, a habit that has not changed over the years. He goes to more than a dozen of the 28 comprehensive test stations in the country's citrus production areas every year, and has left his footprints in most places where oranges and tangerines are grown.

"Poverty alleviation through science and technology is more of an interaction than a one-way output,” Deng said, adding that in recent years, many of his team's research projects have been done in production areas such as the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, as these places have decades of accumulation of data and materials.

From Deng’s point of view, "scientific research projects should come from production, while their results should help promote production. Only when the foundation is deep enough, can the building be built higher."