Agricultural E-commerce Opens a Golden Age for Chinese Agriculture
Historically, the golden periods of China's agricultural development have all depended on advances in agricultural science and technology, such as the achievements in hoe cultivation techniques and farmland irrigation during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and rulers of successive dynasties also attached great importance to agriculture. In the 30 years of reform and opening up, the implementation of the household contract responsibility system, the implementation of contracted management rights, and the protection of farmers' rights and interests have enabled China's agriculture to advance by leaps and bounds, with consecutive years of bumper grain harvests.
During the busy farming season of "Golden September and Silver October," crop harvesting enters its sprint stage. Relying on technological innovation, patch after patch of fields has achieved mechanized operation, greatly improving the efficiency of the busy farming season. In the next stage, for large farms, agricultural cooperatives, and agricultural enterprises, the sale of agricultural products must begin to build up momentum.
E-commerce: Once Again Proving That Science and Technology Revitalize Agriculture
This era is the golden age of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and the state treats the issues of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers as the top priority in national work. In particular, the development and progress of science and technology have once again brought new dawn to agriculture, and internet e-commerce has begun to expand its territory in the agricultural field. The flagship products of Chinese e-commerce have gone from books to clothing to digital products, and now it is the turn of agricultural products to formally take the stage.
After e-commerce giant Alibaba Group listed in the United States, agricultural e-commerce became one of the three key areas for its future development. The specialty agricultural product trading on its Taobao website has developed rapidly. In 2013 alone, the growth rate of fresh products (including aquatic products, meat, and fruit) on Taobao reached 194.58%, ranking first among all categories.
E-commerce Changes the Traditional Agricultural Model
Agricultural production has become market-oriented. Agricultural products are no longer just about production; sales channels and brand standards even more reflect the level of agricultural development. In terms of sales, bulk orders for agricultural products have become networked. Taking the agricultural product trading platform China Huinong Network as an example, it has not only built an e-commerce platform but also developed mobile apps "Huinongbao" and "Dianjiaqin," providing users with agricultural product e-commerce services, food anti-counterfeiting and traceability services, agriculture, rural areas, and farmers information services, and comprehensive community services, realizing information-based agricultural business operations through mobile phones. Under the impact of e-commerce, the traditional sales model of agriculture will be overturned.