China Agri News Week 28, 2020
This is the news overview of week 28 from the agricultural team of the Netherlands Embassy in Beijing.
Ministry Pushes Development of High-Quality Greenhouse Construction
On June 29, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) published their view increasing the utilization of mechanized production facilities, a push to upgrade greenhouse building and production.
In the announcement, MARA asks local agricultural authorities to include facility cultivation into their work plans and agenda. Aspects for improvements are an upgrade of greenhouse building, including the use of high-quality construction materials, and the investment in energy-saving technology. There should also be more room for the growth of new varieties, including fruit trees, medical herbs, and flowers.
MARA will report more on related national technical standards, subsidiaries, an insurance framework, and research- and training facilities shortly (source, Chinese only: MARA).
First Meatless Burgers for Sale in Chinese Grocery Stores
Beyond Meat burger patties hit shelves at Alibaba’s Hema supermarket chain in Shanghai, marking the first time plant-based meat is being sold in a grocery store in China, and coming at a time of lingering worries about traditional meat.
It’s a big coup for Beyond Meat because none of its meatless rivals battling for Chinese stomachs has broken into grocery chains yet. It gives Beyond Meat an edge – at least for now – in the fierce meatless battle underway in China but that has so far been limited to a few fast-food restaurants and e-commerce sites. The race in China to dominate the meat-alternatives market is relatively new in China. But players see great potential in the world’s largest consumer of meat. Chinese people eat more than a quarter of all animal meat (for full article see: SCMP).
Short News:
- Beijing’s economy is recovering after the COVID19 outbreak at Beijing's biggest wholesale food market in June earlier this year. But shops, bars, and restaurants have since largely reopened (source: SCMP).
- On July 3rd, Hainan's first batch of 1,785 Australian live cattle enjoying "zero tariffs" import arrived in Hainan. At present, after slaughtering and passing the quarantine inspection, these batches of beef have officially entered the market (source, Chinese only: Sina).
- China’s biggest buffalo milk-producing province Guangxi has entered into a cooperation with Tmall, Alibaba’s e-commerce platform, to promote buffalo milk. In recent years, buffalo milk products have sprung up in the Chinese market, some of which have performed well (source: Chemlinked).