HAIKOU /China/, May 30. /TASS/. The contest for the title of the best royal Volcanic Lychee was held in the southern Chinese city of Haikou (the administrative center of Hainan province). The Nanguo Metropolis Daily reported that the winning fruits were auctioned for 26,000 yuan (about $3,900) apiece.

Fifteen farmers took part in the final contest. The jury of experts awarded the victory to Wu Yuxuan with the five lychee fruits she submitted weighing a total of 417.2 grams and scoring 98 points. "I am very happy that my lychees won first place. In the future, I will work even harder and learn cultivation techniques to get an even better crop next year and let the whole country enjoy the sweetness of lychee," she said.

One of the winning fruits, weighing 83.9g, was sold for 26,000 yuan at the auction. The proceeds from the deal will go to charity.

According to authorities, as many as 60,000 tons of volcano lychee had been sold out of a 75,000-ton harvested crop by May 28. As the newspaper notes, farmers are paying special attention to the packaging of the fruit so that it can be delivered fresh to any corner of China.

Volcano lychee is known in China for its special taste and nutritional properties. Native only to the Haikou area, it owes its name to the volcanic soil in which it grows. According to experts, the fruit is high in glucose, sucrose, protein and carotene, rich in vitamins and amino acids, and high in calcium, selenium and phosphorus.