The opening ceremony for the 2024 Hannan Sweet Corn Cultural Festival in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) on June 5. [Photo provided to en.whkfq.gov.cn]
On June 5, the first day of Grain in Ear on the Chinese lunar calendar, the 2024 Hannan Sweet Corn Cultural Festival took place in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ), Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, with about 4,000 hectares of fresh sweet corn officially hitting the market.
The event was attended by Yang Yuanyuan, vice president of the Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Zhang Baixiang, deputy director of the municipal agriculture and rural affairs bureau, among other prominent figures.
Hannan Sweet Corn. [Photo provided to en.whkfq.gov.cn]
Hannan district, known as the "hometown of sweet corn in China", is a national demonstration area for comprehensive production standards of fresh sweet corn. The district cultivates nearly 100 varieties of sweet, glutinous, and colored corn. Hannan Sweet Corn, recognized as a national geographical indication protected product, boasts a sugar content of up to 12 percent, approximately double that of conventional corn varieties.
This year's festival featured a special online livestreaming competition, with nearly a hundred participants from universities and enterprises competing in livestreaming sales on platforms such as Douyin and JD. Within an hour, the livestreams attracted over ten thousand viewers.
A man buys Hannan sweet corn at a fair during the festival. [Photo provided to en.whkfq.gov.cn]
"Currently, 70 percent of the sweet corn has already been pre-ordered," said Zeng Silai, president of the Hannan Sweet Corn Association.
Last year, the WEDZ Hannan Sweet Corn Agricultural Industrialization Consortium was established, bringing together various business entities to develop sweet corn cultivation, processing, distribution, e-commerce, and logistics services.
