Tourists taste loquats at a rural tourism festival in Jiuhua town, Rugao on May 31. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A rural tourism festival featuring the loquat opened in Jiuhua town, Rugao on May 31 and will run for about a month.

The event, hosted by the Communist Party of China Jiuhua town committee and the local government, is aimed at promoting special agricultural products such as the loquat to boost the development of its rural economy.

There are 6,000 households planting nearly 24,000 loquat trees over an area of 132 hectares in the town. The annual output is valued at about 29.6 million yuan ($4.29 million).

On the day of the opening ceremony, farmers set up booths selling loquats and various activities, including singing and dancing performances and lottery draws were held on stage.

"All the loquats I brought have been sold. My families are going home to bring more," said Jiang Shuhua, who has been planting loquat for dozens of years.

He thanked the government for holding such event, stating that it allows more people to learn about the town's loquats. This would in turn increase the income of local farmers and motivate them to produce better fruits.

The event was also broadcast via livestream, attracting some 70,000 people to take part.