A new-generation farmer brings fragrant pears to Central Asia

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Du Jianhui) news: In the golden autumn, branches across Korla are heavy with fruit, and Korla fragrant pears have entered the harvest and marketing season. On September 23, 2026, at the Kadir cold storage facility in Awat Township, Korla City, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, workers were sorting, packing and transferring fragrant pears. Crates of packed fragrant pears were neatly stacked in the warehouse, ready for nationwide delivery.

Dilmurat Kadir promotes Korla fragrant pears via livestream at a pear orchard in Awat Township, Korla City, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on September 23, 2026. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Du Jianhui)

"We're harvesting the fragrant pears, so don't worry. We'll get your orders delivered on time." Dilmurat Kadir, manager of the cold storage plant, couldn't stop taking calls. He smiled, saying buyers from other regions had been ringing up to place orders. Tired as he was, he felt secure and content.

Behind the brand value of Korla fragrant pears, which stands at 17.24 billion yuan (about 2.56 billion U.S. dollars), is the perseverance and hard work of countless new-generation farmers in Korla City.

Dilmurat, 35, is a native of Korla. In his early years, he helped his father run a cardboard box factory and spent much of his time shuttling between pear orchards and fruit markets. Seeing fellow villagers sitting on high-quality fruit yet unable to earn good incomes, he gradually identified the pain points of the local fragrant pear industry: scattered sales channels, unstable client bases, and insufficient storage infrastructure.

In 2015, Dilmurat decided to make a career shift and launch his own business. He convinced his family, raised funds from multiple channels, took over operations of a large cold storage facility in Awat Township, set up a trading company, and built an integrated industrial chain covering storage, sorting and sales to ease bottlenecks in fragrant pear production and distribution.

To expand the domestic market, Dilmurat traveled to major fruit distribution hubs nationwide, including Dongguan, Shenzhen, Jiaxing and Foshan. He visited buyers door-to-door to market Korla fragrant pears. To ease distributors' worries about partnering with him, he rolled out a "supply first, settle payment later" model. He bore all business risks on his own. His sincere approach won market acceptance, helping him steadily gain a foothold in China's fruit trade.

After the domestic market stabilized, Dilmurat set his sights on overseas markets. In December last year, he followed the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Federation of Industry and Commerce on his first trip to Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, conducting on-site research on local fruit markets, familiarizing himself with cross-border trade rules, and precisely connecting with local distributors. That same year, he secured export orders for more than 300 tons of fragrant pears.

In June this year, he once again traveled to Central Asian countries to promote Korla fragrant pears, proactively inviting overseas buyers to visit Xinjiang for on-site inspections and origin tracing. In August, four Uzbek distributors made special trips to Korla in two groups.

Dilmurat took buyers deep into the core growing regions to check how the fragrant pears were developing. Seeing plump, well-formed pears hanging from the branches, the buyers signed a procurement deal for 2,000 tons of fragrant pears on the spot.

"Fragrant pears of varying sizes and appearances can't be mixed. Mixed batches won't get a good price, so everyone must pay close attention while sorting." Inside the cold storage, Dilmurat kept reminding his workers. He put in place strict sorting standards, checking every pear for size, outward appearance and flesh sweetness. Each fruit was assessed step by step. Any fragrant pears failing quality or appearance checks were barred from storage and would never be sold.

"Everyone, look. This is our 'Dilibo' brand pear orchard. It was recently named an outstanding brand in Korla's core fragrant pear-growing area. The quality is dependable, so feel free to place your orders." In the orchard, Dilmurat ran a live streaming sales. As online sales channels kept expanding, his list of partners grew from just dozens at the start to over 500 today.

"This year, I am striving to push our fragrant pear sales beyond 5,000 tons," Dilmurat said with full confidence.

As in previous years, Dilmurat's cold storage facility had opened its doors to assist local pear farmers. For growers lacking stable sales channels, he committed to purchasing their produce at fair and reasonable prices as a reliable safety net. For disadvantaged rural households, he exempted storage fees entirely, offering substantial support to ease farmers' financial burdens.

"He waived 20,000 yuan of my storage rent last year and helped me get through my most difficult period. I am truly grateful," said Omar Ablat, a pear farmer who came to deliver goods at the cold storage.

Every year during the peak picking and sales season, Dilmurat's cold storage facility offers over 80 jobs, with daily payrolls exceeding 20,000 yuan (about 2,980 U.S. dollars), allowing nearby villagers to work and boost their income close to home.

From expanding across China to venturing into global markets, Dilmurat's entrepreneurial journey serves as a vivid example of how the Korla fragrant pear industry has upgraded and helped advance rural revitalization. Today, the Korla fragrant pear sector boasts a full industrial chain covering planting, processing, sales, and integrated agriculture, cultural and tourism development.

Dilmurat has already mapped out his plans for future growth. Leveraging his established cross-border sales network, he will promote premium specialty farm products from Xinjiang, including red dates, walnuts and grapes, to international markets, helping more fine goods from Xinjiang reach overseas buyers.

Autumn winds sweep across pear orchards, carrying the fresh, sweet aroma of pears through the countryside.

When talking about what a bumper harvest means, Dilmurat put it in plain terms: "A bumper harvest carries the flavor of hard work, of braving hardships and daring to forge ahead. It also holds the sweet flavor of leading fellow villagers to earn more and prosper together."

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