Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ) -- also known popularly as Hannan and located in Wuhan City in Central China's Hubei province -- has been promoting the sales of its Hannan sweet corn, with a livestreaming sales event held on June 1, according to the official WeChat account of the WHDZ.
According to statistics, the livestreaming promotion event had 130,000 online views and the cumulative online sales reached 5 million yuan ($705,567).
Hannan is one of the earliest places in China where sweet corn was grown. It is the national demonstration zone for the production standard of fresh sweet corn. It is also the country's largest and most comprehensive continuous planting facility, boasting nearly 100 varieties of sweet corn.
The sweet corn produced in Hannan has 1.5 times the sugar content of ordinary corn and can be eaten raw or cooked.
In 2012, Hannan sweet corn was approved as a National Geographical Indication Protection Product, leading Hannan to become known as the Hometown of Sweet Corn in China.
Its core production area, Dengnan Street, was among the first batch of epidemic-free streets in Wuhan. Officials said the cultivation of sweet corn was not affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic.
According to data provided by the WHDZ agriculture and rural bureau, the annual output value of sweet corn in Hannan is more than 100 million yuan, equal to an average of more than 5,000 yuan per household.
Officials said it has become an important agricultural product that has helped boost the incomes of local people.
