American Faraz grows fruits in Dali for 20 years

“I was born in Iran. I’m a U.S. citizen. And my home is in China," 60-year-old Faraz always introduces himself like this. He has been living in Dali, southwest China’s Yunnan Province for almost twenty years and has been dedicated to fruit planting here.
 

Back to the year of 1997, in charge of the Asian business of an international fresh fruit trading company, Faraz first visited Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture on business and the climate here caught his attention.

“With its different elevation, Dali is suitable for planting diverse kinds of fruits.” Having this idea in mind, Faraz and his family moved to Dali two years later. And he tried to plant avocado and raspberry at first, but failed. In 2005, he cooperated with local villagers in Midu County, Dali Prefecture and successfully planted about 10 acres of yellow lemons.

In 2002, Faraz began planting cherries in his Dali SOL Farm in Midu. The 15,000 cherry trees in his farm are currently at an average height of 2 meters, covering more than 10 varieties and the annual production is five to six tons. This year, Faraz’s cherry harvest came in late February and early March, at least one month earlier than others’. And the price of his cherries reached over 200 yuan per kilogram, much higher than that of imported cherries which were sold at 80 yuan per kilogram.

“Our goal is not to export cherries to other countries. With growing demands for high-quality food in China, I believe that safe, nutritious and tasty organic food will become more and more popular in the country,” said Faraz.

In addition, Faraz has produced fruit yogurt by using local fruits. His yogurt products have gained popularity among tourists to Dali. 

Faraz said that when he first came to Dali 20 years ago, he has difficulty in communicating with local people because of the language barriers. But now, as his work and life are closely associated with Dali, he feels like he is a local.

Editor: Wang Shixue