Chen Youfang, a farmer from Xianjian village, Xikou town, Fenghua district, shows off his honey peaches, which won the title of "King of Peaches" in a local contest. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

A basket of 12 honey peaches fetched 80,000 yuan ($11,594.2) in an auction held in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on July 26, according to local media reports. 

The honey peaches, grown by Chen Youfang, a farmer from Xianjian village, Xikou town, Fenghua district, won the title of "King of Peaches" in a contest organized by the local government.

The contest, now in its sixth year, received 10 entries recommended by the Xikou government, which were evaluated based on appearance, taste, sweetness and weight by a panel of judges from the Fenghua Agricultural and Forestry Bureau and Fenghua Honey Peach Research Institute.

Peaches grown by Chen took the top prize and were auctioned for 80,000 yuan after the contest. 

All earnings from the auction, totaling 154,000 yuan, which more than doubled that of last year, are set to be donated to three local elderly nursing homes and impoverished families. 

The planting of honey peaches in Fenghua has a history of more than 2,000 years, leading to the district being dubbed the "hometown of honey peaches in China". Honey peaches produced in Fenghua are renowned for their strong fragrance, soft and juicy texture, and sweet taste.

Xikou is the core production area of the fruit in Fenghua, with the planting area surpassing 20,000 mu (1,333.3 hectares), accounting for half of the total in the district.