Chinese farmer grows Buddha-shaped pears

Chinese farmer grows Buddha-shaped pears

Mangalore Today News Network

China, Aug 23, 2014:  He believes they are a sure-fire way of getting children to eat fruit - and make him a healthy profit in the process.

But some think the bizarre produce being grown by one Chinese farmer is just too weird for consumption.

De He has been forcing pears on his farm near the city of Nanchang in south China’s Jiangxi province into moulds that causes them to grow into the shape of babies and Buddhas.

 

 

That’s a sweet trick: Chinese farmer De He has been growing baby and Buddha-shaped fruit by forcing them to grow into moulds on his farm near the city of Nanchang in south China’s Jiangxi province

He is hoping to cash in on an old Chinese fairy tale about a magic fruit in the shape of human infants.

The tale says that whoever eats such a magic fruit attains immortality.

He first practised by growing ginseng into the shape of a baby Buddha before making the human moulds.

Bizarre: The fruits have been getting a lot of attention in local shops, but at £3 each they are ten times the price of ordinary fruit and reports suggest most people think they are ’rather weird’

He said: ’Who can resist a beautiful baby? And who could resist a lovely piece of fruit that looks like one?

’It occurred to me I would be on to a winner if I could market fruit in the form of perfectly formed, innocent babies and that has proven to be the case.

’Local supermarkets cannot get enough of the stuff.’

A wise move? De wants to expand his fruit-moulding business to make some super-sized edible babies out of watermelons and pumpkins

De wants to expand his fruit moulding business to make some super-sized edible babies out of watermelons and pumpkins.

He added: ’Parents are particularly happy. Junk food and sweet consumption is on the rise in China and making many children obese.

’Getting them to eat fruit in a fun way is important and they love eating the babyfruit.’

The fruits have been getting a lot of attention in local shops, but at £3 each they are ten times the prices of the normal shaped fruit.

And reports so far are that despite all the attention, few people are buying the fruits, with most seeming to think its ’rather weird’.