Chengdu showcases cornucopia of agricultural products

The third Sichuan Agricultural Expo held in Chengdu from Nov 19 to 23 provided the host city with a platform to showcase its modern agricultural products and technologies.

Among the nine exhibition halls, four were designated for agricultural products from Chengdu, including grains, edible oil, vegetables, flowers, aquaculture products and seeds. All of the products carried their own brands.

Other agricultural specialties included oolong tea leaves from Qingcheng Mountain, kiwi fruit from Dujiangyan, pickled vegetables from Xindu, winter strawberries from Shuangliu, autumn flower tea leaves from Qionglai and ducks from Pengzhou.

Chengdu's four exhibition halls were divided into five industrial zones: modern agriculture, agricultural cooperation with cities and provinces, agricultural and rural tours, new technology in modern agriculture and agricultural products.

The agricultural expo saw the signing of 704 investment agreements worth 139.8 billion yuan ($21.85 billion), among which 48 agreements worth 9.3 billion yuan were signed between Chengdu and partners from home and abroad.

The Chengdu Agricultural Professional Managers Association organized more than 750 managers of companies from 20 counties and districts in Chengdu to visit the expo.

Agricultural tourism

The government has also placed special emphasis on agricultural tourism.

Chengdu is one of China's pioneers in agricultural sightseeing and rural tours.

Last year, its agricultural tourism sector received more than 88.96 million visits, generating revenue of 16.1 billion yuan. One quarter of the income of farmers in Chengdu comes from agricultural tourism, according to the city government.

Chengdu has hosted a series of flower and fruit festivals from March every year to attract tourists from other cities, such as the peach flower festival in Longquan, pear flower festival in Xinjin, rape flower festival in Jintang, kiwi fruit festival in Pujiang, blueberry festival in Dayi, loquat festival in Longquan, nectarine festival in Qingbaijiang, vegetable expo in Pengzhou, tea festival in Pujiang and winter strawberry festival in Shuangliu.

An official from the agriculture and forestry bureau in the Qingbaijiang district said these events and festivals have attracted not only tourists, but also buyers of local fruits and agricultural products. He estimated the average annual net income of farmers in his district this year would hit about 20,000 yuan, a remarkable increase from last year's 14,000 yuan, because of the growing influence of the events tied to agricultural tourism.

During this year's Sichuan Agricultural Expo, the agricultural tourism exhibition section displayed flower production bases, agricultural theme parks, interactive farm tours, and village tours and rural hotels.

In addition to the agricultural tourism shows, other events caught the eye of visitors.

Chengdu-based Wellcrop Agricultural Co, for instance, presented its "urban farming spaces", showing how miniature farms can be built and operated on apartment balconies and in home yards for urban residents. Parents said the exhibition helped their children better understand nature and agriculture.

Thai exhibits

Thailand, a co-sponsor of the third Sichuan Agricultural Expo, exhibited its farming products at the event.

The Southeast Asian nation has seen a rise in business exchanges with Chengdu, especially in trade of rice and fruits.

Thai food is now very popular in Chengdu.

Zhu Lei, vice-chairman of the Chiang Mai branch of Sichuan and Chongqing General Chamber of Commerce of in Thailand, said at the expo that agriculture and tourism are two important sectors in business cooperation between Chengdu and Thailand.

"More and more cars carrying Chengdu's plates run on the roads of Chiang Mai. Agriculture and tourism have been and will be the two fastest growth points of the two sister cities' cooperation," Zhu said.

Many business representatives attending the expo said the event is an important platform to enhance cooperation between companies in Chengdu and the rest of the world.

"Currently, investment from foreign and domestic enterprises is flowing into Chengdu's agricultural sector on a large scale. It shows Chengdu has a good investment environment and prospects in its agricultural sector," said Zhao Junde, an executive at Chengdu's Bayi International Trade Co.

"On the other hand, cooperation with domestic and foreign investors will help the local agricultural industry improve its brands and upgrade technology."

Li Yaozhong, president of Xibu Nonggu Agricultural Technology Co, said the widening scope of cooperation with investors means "the agricultural industry is now integrating more and more resources from other sectors".

Li Houqiang, a researcher of agricultural economy from the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, said: "Modern agricultural industry is increasingly based on the merging of technology and capital. This is a completely new model compared with the previous small farm economy. Chengdu has the conditions to take the lead in developing this new model of agriculture in Southwest China."

Contact the writers through liyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/02/2015 page7)