Thieves grab lab apples worth millions  

青岛科研苹果新品种一夜被偷光 损失达上亿元

“这是用于研究的苹果，我一个也舍不得摘，没想到被一夜偷光了，估计偷的人也不知道这些苹果的价值远大于吃。”青岛市农科院果茶研究所副所长韩明三欲哭无泪，17日晚上他还在北宅毕家村果木培育基地查看用于科研的苹果新品种，没想到18日一早再来，3棵科研果树果实全被偷光。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- Some thieves may have grabbed the wrong apples.

On the morning of October 18, Han Mingsan, Deputy Director of Fruit and Tea Research at the Qingdao Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Shandong province, visited the orchard in Bijiacun village as usual.

What he saw gave him quite a shock. The apples of three lab trees had been stolen, leaving a couple tiny, premature fruits dangling from the branches.

These apples were not for eating, and were worth much more than what they could be sold for, Han said, grieving the loss for scientific research.

The team started cultivating the apples more than four years ago and was expecting the first harvest in just a few days.

The study, if successful, could produce apples that look and taste better and don't need paper wrapping, saving growers at least 3,000 yuan ($500) per mu (666 square meters). Han said mass planting in Qingdao alone could save farmers hundreds of millions in yuan.

The police have been notified, but Han said he doesn't hold much hope for recovering the stolen property.