Farmers harvest tangerines in an orchard in Xianju county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Xianju county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang recently welcomed the harvest season for tangerines.

The orchards growing the fruit in the county currently cover about 15,600 mu (1,040 hectares) and have a combined annual output of 11,000 metric tons of tangerines worth 300 million yuan ($42.86 million), official statistics show.

Pan Chongxian, president of Xianju Zhouwan Agriculture Co Ltd said that their 1,000-mu orchard is expected to produce about 3,000 tons of tangerines valued at 9 million yuan this year.

Late November or early December is the best time for harvesting tangerines as this is when the fruit's sugar content is at its highest, according to Pan.

The company is known for its Red Beauty, a premium variety of tangerine that has won numerous awards.

Pan said the yields of Red Beauty per mu can fetch between 400,000 and 500,000 yuan, given they can be sold at a price of 80 yuan per kilogram.