An automated facility washes and dries the apples, before a smart system arranges them in rows, locates the blemishes on them and removes the apples considered unsatisfactory for sale from the batch.

The staff can see the apples, with their blemishes marked, on a computer screen, like a catalog highlighting the unique qualities of each product.

The fruit is then categorized according to their size and sent down the line to different sets of handlers for further sorting and packing.

The orchard is also equipped with cold chain logistics, preparing the products for long-distance transportation.

So far the orchard has more than 107 hectares of fruit-bearing apple trees, with a further 67 hectares set to follow in the near future.

In late August, the first 20 metric tons of produce was transported to Foshan in Guangdong province－1,800 km away－because the city has sent talent and investment to the county to help the poverty alleviation effort, and the orchard is one of the beneficiaries.

More apples will be sent to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area at the end of September, especially to Hong Kong and Macao, for trial sale, according to Huang Jie, who was sent from Foshan to coordinate with the county as part of the cooperation to lift local people out of poverty and develop suitable industries to improve income sustainably.

Ethnic Yi woman Tian Azhi, 22, says she and her mother, together with her younger brother during the school summer holiday, went to the orchard to work part-time, earning a daily wage of 70 yuan ($10.2) each, which is considered quite good in the region.