China encourages green food
The biggest ever logistics center for green food in China has been launched in Zhengzhou recently, the capital city of Henan Province in central China. The project covers 370,000 square meters of construction area and is invested by Wenzhou Hengha Food Company with 690 million yuan. The company is specialized in processing and exports of ecologically friendly food.
The center will offer a platform for information sharing and a five-layered network covering the whole country.
It will facilitate one-stop procurement service for agricultural enterprises and help to build a national supply chain for green food.
Organic food which is safe, free from pollution, rich in nutrition and of good quality is called green food. Food producers have to apply to the Ministry of Agriculture for labeling their products as green food.
By 2003, there were 2047 green food producers in China which sold 72.3 billion yuan of food to the domestic market and more than 1 billion USD to the overseas market. Farm products labeled "green food" are available at higher prices in supermarkets but more popular. The market demand is still expanding rapidly.
Shannxi Province in northwest China is the largest base for organic food in China. It also supplies one-third of the world's total condensed apple juice which is up to the international standard. Buyers are from Europe, North America, Middle East and Japan.
China is the six largest exporter of farm produces in the world. In October this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance and the People's Bank of China, together with other 3 government departments, issued a document designed to encourage agri-produces exports.
But China's agri-exports face"green barriers" on the overseas market especially in the developed countries. Pesticide residue is one of the barricades. Statistics shows that 90 percent of Chinese food products have had to deal with green barriers set by foreign markets.
In a recent speech Mr. Wei Jianguo, Vice Minister of Commerce, declared a three-dimensioned strategy including pre-emptive actions, defense and prevention system, for China's exports of farm produces. He said China would firmly fight against any unreasonable barriers set by foreign trade partners on one hand. On the other he urged Chinese exporters of farm produces to improve their quality control and engage in clean production so that their products would be accepted by foreign buyers.
Green barriers are normally used by importing countries which restrict or ward off foreign products by imposing a package of standards and tariffs for environmental protection.
By People's Daily Online
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