On September 9, the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival and the Huili Pomegranate Long-Distance Departure Ceremony took place in Huili City, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Sixty trucks loaded with fresh Huili pomegranates set off simultaneously, heading to 60 cities across the country.

Huili, known as the "Hometown of Chinese Pomegranates," benefits from significant day-night temperature differences and selenium-rich soil. These unique conditions give Huili pomegranates their signature traits: large fruit with thin skin, vibrant color, plump and soft seeds, and a sweet, juicy flavor. As of 2025, Huili has established a high-quality pomegranate industry base covering 400,000 mu, accounting for 92% of Sichuan Province's pomegranate planting area and 26% of the national total. Annual fruit output exceeds 800,000 tons, with a comprehensive industry value surpassing 7 billion yuan. The fruit has earned prestigious titles including "National Geographical Indication Product" and "China Well-Known Trademark."

The departure ceremony is an annual tradition in Huili. Ye Zhengguo, chairman of Huili Guoteng Logistics Co., Ltd., noted that this year, 60 trucks were organized to transport pomegranates to major destinations including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Jiaxing. A notable change in logistics this year involves transferring the cargo from trucks to trains at Xichang Station, enabling direct, one-stop delivery to final destinations.

Alongside the departure ceremony, an agricultural specialty product exhibition featured 25 unique booths displaying 156 products from 20 townships and streets across the city. Among the highlights, high-mountain yak meat from Liuhua Town emerged as a star product, while pomegranate vinegar, bananas, tamarind juice, and chestnuts also drew significant consumer interest.

The same day, Huili hosted the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival and Huili Pomegranate Promotion Conference, gathering representatives from major pomegranate-producing regions nationwide, agricultural product distribution enterprises, foreign trade companies, cold-chain logistics providers, and industry leaders. Multiple companies reached cooperation agreements and signed contracts on-site.

In recent years, Huili has adopted an industrialized approach to agriculture and a brand-oriented strategy for fruit management. The city treats the development of the complete pomegranate industry chain as a top-priority agricultural initiative, focusing on planting improvements, chain extension, market expansion, and brand protection. These efforts aim to continuously enhance quality and efficiency, promote industrial transformation, and build an integrated framework combining production, supply, and marketing with agricultural, industrial, and trade collaboration.

Currently, the national-level modern agricultural park for pomegranates in Huili is progressing steadily. Projects including the pomegranate industrial park and exposition park are accelerating development, driving the upgrade of Huili pomegranates from merely selling fresh fruit to selling products, brands, and cultural value.