Peach production in China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
China, the world's leading producer of fruit, is also by far the leading producer of peaches.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/%27Peach_Forest%27%2C_painting_by_Lan_Ying.jpg/640px-%27Peach_Forest%27%2C_painting_by_Lan_Ying.jpg)
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, as of 2010, peach production in China was 10 million tonnes (11 million short tons), accounting for 50% of world production. Other leading peach producers are Italy (10%), Spain (7%) and the United States (6%).[1][2] Since most of China's peaches are for domestic consumption, China is not the world's largest exporter of peaches, but instead ranks as the fifth-largest peach exporter, behind Spain, Italy, France and the United States (4th). China's export of peaches to the U.S. during 2010 was valued at about US$55 million.[3]
The peach is indigenous to China, with its historical records traced from fossil stones in Wu County in Jiangsu province, during archaeological excavations.[1] The two types of peaches (Prunus persica, a deciduous fruit) are clingstone and freestone; the history and cultivation of both types have been traced as far back as 1000 BCE in China. They are now grown worldwide.[1][3][4]