The Shandong Institute of Apple and Fruit Industrial Technology was inaugurated in Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, on July 29.

The institute will focus on the research and development of new varieties of fruit, seedling breeding, and orchard management in the apple-growing industry.

Zhang Shuping, Party secretary of Yantai, attended the inauguration ceremony and visited the central laboratory of the institute, where he learned about the development history of Yantai apples and related technological innovation.

He said that Yantai is the birthplace and main production area of the modern apple industry in China and has been playing a leading role in promoting the development of the apple industry.

Yantai currently has 2.8 million mu (1,866.66 square kilometers) of apple planting area, with a total annual output of 5.7 million tons. The industry is currently undergoing a period of upgrading and transformation.

The establishment of the institution will help accelerate the upgrading of the traditional fruit industry, cultivate new planting technologies and attract more talent, which will promote the development of the fruit industry in Yantai and all of Shandong province.

Zhang Shuping (first from right), Party secretary of Yantai, visits Shandong Institute of Apple and Fruit Industrial Technology on July 29. [Photo/iqilu.com]

The Shandong Institute of Apple and Fruit Industrial Technology is inaugurated in Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, on July 29. [Photo/iqilu.com]