National Potato Staple Food Processing Industry Alliance Officially Established
On September 21, the founding conference of the National Potato Staple Food Processing Industry Alliance, spearheaded by the Institute of Food Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was held in Dingxi, Gansu. The conference adopted the alliance's charter and the list of organizational personnel, and elected Dai Xiaofeng, director of the Institute of Food Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, as chairman of the alliance, with Sun Baoguo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, officials from relevant departments and bureaus of the Ministry of Agriculture, and relevant experts from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences serving as members of the alliance's steering committee.
According to statistics, by the end of 2014, the main business revenue of China's above-scale staple food processing industry engaged in rice and flour manufacturing and quick-frozen food manufacturing reached 163.8 billion yuan, an increase of nearly 16% over 2013; total profits reached 11 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.8%. In the first half of this year, the growth rates of industries related to staple food processing, including quick-frozen food, rice and flour products, soy products and vegetable processing, were generally in the relatively fast growth range of 10%—17%, becoming a prominent highlight in the development of the agricultural product processing industry and contributing to the sustained, stable and healthy development of the agricultural and rural economy.
A responsible official of the Agricultural Product Processing Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture stated that the staple food processing industry connects farmers on one end and urban residents on the other, and connects agriculture on one end and the service sector on the other; it holds an important position and bears major responsibilities, and accelerating its development is imperative. The purpose of building industry alliances and cultivating demonstration enterprises is to create a favorable atmosphere for the development of the staple food processing industry through government-built platforms, platforms that gather resources, and resources that serve the industry. In the future, it is necessary to further strengthen confidence in accelerating the development of the staple food processing industry, aim to accelerate the value-added processing of agricultural products, promote sustained increases in farmers' incomes, and meet the consumption needs and nutritional balance of urban and rural residents, adhere to the working approach of government guidance, enterprise as the main body, scientific and technological support, and brand-driven development, continue to carry out the “Staple Food Processing Industry Enhancement Action” in depth, and lead China's staple food processing level to a new stage.
During the conference, to meet the needs of potato industry development and staple food processing technology in the Dingxi area, relevant technical training and matchmaking exchange activities were also specially organized. Representatives from scientific research institutions, enterprises and service organizations of the initiating units of the National Potato Staple Food Processing Industry Alliance, as well as representatives of the fourth batch of national staple food processing demonstration enterprises and officials from agricultural product processing management departments in various regions, participated in the above activities.