The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has brought huge challenges for the global farming industry. Fruit farmers in Xichuan County, central China's Henan Province, also found it hard to sell their produce in time. 

"Usually at this time of the year, vendors would come and collect our fruits. But this year, I called them many times. Nobody showed up," said Yang Qiaoying, a fruit farmer in Xichuan County.

Ruan Qingxiang, another fruit farmer, said, "Even if this season is getting better, I'm still worried about the sales for the next harvest season, since the pandemic is still spreading."

But the local government's innovative ideas came to their rescue. Live-streaming shows on e-commerce platforms were organized to promote their sales. Even the party secretary of the county participated in the livestream to aid the effort. 

In addition, all government officials were asked to buy fruits directly from the farms during the weekend. Local authorities are also hoping to support rural tourism in the area. 

Lu Hanwei, Party chief of Xichuan County, said, "In order to help them sell the fruit at a good price, we tried to contact big wholesale markets, food processing enterprises, some schools, and universities across the country."

So far, farmers in Xichuan County have received orders for more than 10,000 tonnes of fruits. Some fruit processing factories have also signed contracts for the next few years.