Over 20 square kilometers of oil-tea camellia fruit in Yuxi township, Songyang county, Lishui, enter the picking season. [Photo/Tide News]

Over 20 square kilometers of oil-tea camellia in Yuxi township, Songyang county, Lishui, has entered the picking season, according to local media on Nov 11.

In Yuxi township, villagers skillfully weave through the lush oil-tea camellia forests, picking the bountiful fruit.

Villagers can harvest over 150 kilograms of oil-tea camellia fruit per person each day. After drying, the seeds are extracted and dried, yielding about 2.5 kilograms of oil from every 50 kilograms of fruit.

To mitigate the impact of climate on yield, villagers have enriched the soil with organic fertilizers in advance and carefully nurtured the oil-tea camellia.

Yuxi township is a major production area of oil-tea camellia seeds in Songyang county. The crop is a key driver of local farmers' income, producing quality camellia oil that sells for 50 to 60 yuan ($6.93 to $8.31) per 500 grams.

Based on this year's growth, the township's production of oil-tea camellia seeds is expected to reach 2,300 metric tons, with an estimated annual output value of 11.5 million yuan.

Editor: Xu Zhitian