The 12th Mashan Waxberry Picking Festival kicks off in Guzhu village in the Mashan sub-district of Wuxi on June 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 12th Mashan Waxberry Picking Festival kicked off in Guzhu village in the Manshan sub-district of Wuxi, Jiangsu province on June 11.

The history of waxberry planting in Mashan peninsula can be dated back to more than 2,000 years ago.

Owing to its favorable weather and soil conditions, waxberries grown in Mashan tastes more sweet and juicy than in other areas in China.

The area has even been named a national demonstration township for waxberry planting in recent years.

Nearly 3,000 farmers grow waxberries in Mashan, with 10,000 mu (approximately 666.7 hectares) of land used to cultivate the fruit.

The waxberry harvest in the area is expected to be about 3,000 tons this year, slightly down compared with last year, but the revenue generated is likely to increase to 80 million yuan ($11.7 million), according to a local farmer.

Sales of Mashan waxberries will boom next week when the first batch of fruit hits the market, and the spike in sales is expected to last until around June 20.

The festival, which has been held 12 years in a row, still retained its public service feature this year. More than 50 disabled children from Binhu district were invited to take part in a waxberry picking activity.

Additionally, in a bid to enable more local residents to enjoy Mashan waxberries, a total of six makeshift stalls selling the fruit will be put up in vegetable markets such as Rongxiang market, Qingshan market and Daoxiang market.

Fresh waxberries can only be kept for two to three days after being picked, and it is recommended to soak them in salt water in order to clean them before eating.