Reporter's Observation: Northeast Asia Expo Boosts the Transformation of the Grain and Bean Industry

Miscellaneous grains and beans, Jilin agriculture's colorful calling card. Jilin's miscellaneous grains and beans enjoy a high reputation nationwide and even worldwide, and demand has been growing year by year. But behind this advantage, the predicament of the miscellaneous grains and beans industry is hard to conceal: long-term reliance on traditional production and management models has given rise to a series of problems, including small planting scale, low level of industrialization, outdated processing and packaging, and lack of brand recognition. How can resource advantages be transformed into economic advantages, and how can miscellaneous grains and beans be built into a major industry? This is precisely the original intention behind revitalizing the miscellaneous grains and beans industry.

On September 2, the 2015 China Bean Import and Export Industry Annual Conference came to a close in Changchun. During the three-day meeting, more than 200 trade enterprises and expert representatives in the miscellaneous grains and beans sector from home and abroad held peak dialogues, using professional and profound thinking to gain insight into new paths and new ideas for the miscellaneous grains and beans industry, and to take the pulse of its development.

Jilin Province is a major production area for miscellaneous grains and beans in China, and Baicheng is a production base for miscellaneous grains and beans in Jilin Province and even across the country. Ge Shuli, vice mayor of Baicheng City, told reporters that in recent years Baicheng has vigorously developed green ecological agriculture and continuously supported the development of the miscellaneous grains and beans industry, which has become an important part of Baicheng's green ecological agriculture. “However, judging from Baicheng's advantageous conditions such as location, output and distribution center status, the growth rate of Baicheng's miscellaneous grains and beans industry is still not very fast.”

Ge Shuli analyzed the factors constraining development: first, a miscellaneous grains and beans brand that can represent Baicheng has not yet been created; second, there are many obstacles in financing for the miscellaneous grains and beans industry; third, there is an urgent need for large enterprises with strong investment capacity and the ability to do a good job in the big article of miscellaneous grains and beans to settle in Baicheng.

With the help of the Expo platform, 68 enterprises representing the leading level of Baicheng's miscellaneous grains and beans industry carried out comprehensive promotion and investment attraction activities toward countries around the world. “This is a platform, and even more an opportunity.” Ge Shuli said, “Through this annual conference, we will promote the development of Baicheng City's miscellaneous grains and beans industry, accelerate the development of Baicheng City's foreign trade transformation and upgrading, and create good opportunities for foreign trade enterprises to seek cooperation in deep processing.”

During the annual conference, Jilin Province's deep-processing and distribution enterprises of miscellaneous grains and beans achieved effective docking with domestic and international traders and end users, and enterprises at home and abroad and in Jilin Province built a long-term trade cooperation platform, enabling Jilin Province's high-quality miscellaneous grains and beans to participate more broadly in the large circulation of domestic and international markets; by displaying miscellaneous grains and beans products, they publicized the brand image of Jilin's miscellaneous grains and beans and enhanced their visibility and influence.

As the organizer of this annual conference, the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products has long-term cooperative relations with Jilin Province. Rong Weidong, vice chairman of the chamber, introduced that the annual conference chose to be held in Jilin Province first because it relies on Jilin Province's industrial foundation in grains and beans, and second because Baicheng City is a national-level miscellaneous grains and beans foreign trade export transformation base. Against the broader background of domestic industrial structure adjustment, agricultural planting structure adjustment, and the transformation and upgrading of the grain and bean industry, this meeting served as a bridge for the transformation and upgrading of Baicheng City's grain and bean industry. He said: “From what we can see now, traders and industry scholars have already gained some understanding of the problems existing in the transformation and upgrading process of Baicheng City's grain and bean industry. Next, the chamber will combine international trade advantages with Baicheng's industrial advantages, and work together with the governments of the producing areas and enterprises to seek and discuss the path for the development of the grain and bean industry.”

Wu Zhongzheng is the head of an enterprise in Jilin Province mainly engaged in the export of miscellaneous beans. The Bean Annual Conference being held concurrently with the Northeast Asia Expo made him extremely excited. During the meeting, he held negotiations with merchants from Canada and the United States on pea trade and reached cooperation intentions. “The Bean Annual Conference is being held in Jilin for the first time, which has a boosting effect on Jilin Province's miscellaneous grains and beans industry and will play a great role in promoting the development of Jilin's miscellaneous grains and beans industry.” Wu Zhongzheng said that the Northeast Asia Expo attracted more merchants from home and abroad, which brings more development opportunities to the industry, promotes Jilin Province's miscellaneous grains and beans and specialty agricultural products toward a broader market, and also broadens enterprises' horizons more and more.

Brian from Canada is a global bean analysis expert, and his figure can be seen at China's Bean Import and Export Industry Annual Conference in recent years. His trip to Jilin gave him a more intuitive understanding of the situation of Jilin Province's grain and bean industry. He revealed that the United Nations has declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses. This information will provide a reference for Jilin Province to better utilize bean resources, increase bean output, and better implement crop rotation, and will also become a new opportunity for Jilin Province to further integrate into global bean trade.