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Farm Produce: Sweet Challenges

Nov 16-2021   



In a seminar on agricultural produce, Prof. Zhou Qiren of the NSD proposes building a market system that breaks down the barriers between rural and urban areas and between domestic and international markets. In particular, he stresses the need to continuously transmitting market demand information back to farmers.

 

Prof. Zhou joins a research tour to Xuwen County and Gaozhou City in western Guangdong Province, known for the production of pineapples and lychees respectively. Both used to be beset by weak demands but have been experimenting with new ways of consumer outreach.

 

In 2019, China imported 7.29 million tons of fruits at a total value of USD170 billion while posting fruit exports of USD 70 billion. To tap into surging demands, which have driven a rise in imports, local growers should de-block the path to markets and get to the consumers who want to savor fruits at the right prices, says Prof. Zhou.

 

He commends the efforts of the local governments to map out national wholesalers and retailers, groom local dealers, stage tasting events for consumers, and mobilize young marketing talents through new business technology. Xuwen’s pineapples have withstood the test of the pandemic and achieved increase in both output and price.

 

Prof. Zhou also advises that such farming areas should not only supply high-quality produce but also build themselves into picturesque tourist attractions, much like the vineyards in Provence, France and olive orchards in central Italy. In this way, the farmers will enjoy high incomes and respect.

 

The path to markets, he reminds, must be two-way in order to facilitate information exchanges between farmers and consumers. The former still has some way to go to fully understand the ever-upgrading consumption habits of urban residents. In this sense, the agricultural R&D concerns not just the produce per se but also people: the producers must know the consumers better than the consumers themselves do, says Prof. Zhou.

Farm Produce: Sweet Challenges

Nov 16-2021   



In a seminar on agricultural produce, Prof. Zhou Qiren of the NSD proposes building a market system that breaks down the barriers between rural and urban areas and between domestic and international markets. In particular, he stresses the need to continuously transmitting market demand information back to farmers.

 

Prof. Zhou joins a research tour to Xuwen County and Gaozhou City in western Guangdong Province, known for the production of pineapples and lychees respectively. Both used to be beset by weak demands but have been experimenting with new ways of consumer outreach.

 

In 2019, China imported 7.29 million tons of fruits at a total value of USD170 billion while posting fruit exports of USD 70 billion. To tap into surging demands, which have driven a rise in imports, local growers should de-block the path to markets and get to the consumers who want to savor fruits at the right prices, says Prof. Zhou.

 

He commends the efforts of the local governments to map out national wholesalers and retailers, groom local dealers, stage tasting events for consumers, and mobilize young marketing talents through new business technology. Xuwen’s pineapples have withstood the test of the pandemic and achieved increase in both output and price.

 

Prof. Zhou also advises that such farming areas should not only supply high-quality produce but also build themselves into picturesque tourist attractions, much like the vineyards in Provence, France and olive orchards in central Italy. In this way, the farmers will enjoy high incomes and respect.

 

The path to markets, he reminds, must be two-way in order to facilitate information exchanges between farmers and consumers. The former still has some way to go to fully understand the ever-upgrading consumption habits of urban residents. In this sense, the agricultural R&D concerns not just the produce per se but also people: the producers must know the consumers better than the consumers themselves do, says Prof. Zhou.