On November 6th, the 16th Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum was successfully held in Shanghai as a concurrent event of the 6th China International Import Expo. The forum was hosted by the State Administration for Market Regulation and co-organized by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, the Development Research Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. Zhang Min, Vice Governor of Henan Provincial People’s Government, attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a speech.
Zhang Min, Vice Governor of Henan Provincial People’s Government, attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a speech
Esteemed leaders and guests,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends:
Good morning. I am immensely pleased to participate in the 16th Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum, upon the invitation of the State Administration for Market Regulation. On behalf of the People’s Government of Henan Province, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the State Administration for Market Regulation, related ministries, and friends from various sectors for their longstanding support and interest in Henan’s development.
Henan is a major agricultural province in China, known for its significant role in food production and export. Utilizing only one-sixteenth of China’s arable land, Henan produces a quarter of China’s wheat and one-tenth of its total grain output. Annually, approximately 60 billion jin of raw grain and processed products are distributed from Henan, reinforcing its status as the ‘China’s Breadbasket,’ ‘Kitchen of the Nation,’ and ‘Dining Table of the World.’ In recent years, under the guidance of the important speeches and directives of President Xi Jinping, the Henan Provincial Committee and Government have been fully committed to leveraging our position as a key national grain production core area. We have vigorously promoted the integration of agricultural and food industries and accelerated the establishment of the ‘Central Plains Agri-Valley’ as a highland for agricultural science and technology innovation. Our efforts are focused on creating advanced manufacturing industry clusters, including modern food production, thereby fostering high-quality development of ecological agriculture and the food industry.
Our strategy includes:
1. Capitalizing on our strengths to promote industrial agglomeration. We adhere to integrating grain and food, livestock and meat, agriculture, and industry, harnessing our abundant grain and meat resources, and leveraging our locational and transportation advantages. This approach has led to the formation of the nation’s largest meat, flour, frozen food, condiment, and specialty snack food production and processing bases. We have cultivated numerous nationally renowned food brands such as Shuanghui, Sanquan, Si Nian, Hao Xiang Ni, and Bai Xiang, with the food industry generating over one trillion yuan in revenue.
2. Emphasizing distinctive characteristics to aid industrial transformation. Aligning with new consumer trends, we focus on optimizing our specialty food industries, creating a new engine for transformation, and upgrading the modern food industry. We have implemented initiatives to nurture food industry chains like leisure foods and pre-prepared dishes, relying on leading companies like Wei Long, Guo Quan Shi Hui, and Qian Wei Yang Chu. We focus on developing industries such as frozen foods, pre-prepared dishes, hot and sour noodles, and pet foods, fostering multi-billion yuan ‘chain leaders’ and advancing the optimization and upgrading of our industrial structure.
3. Pioneering Industry Advancements with Technological Innovation: We have deeply implemented an innovation-driven strategy, focusing on the technological innovation needs of Henan's trillion-level food industry. We established the provincial-level professional food innovation platform, the Central Plains Food Laboratory, assembling ten academicians and creating thirteen R&D teams. This facility, comprising a ‘Laboratory + Graduate School + Incubator + Pilot Base + Industry Fund + Industrial Park,’ forms a complete chain of scientific research transformation. Since its operation in September 2022, the Central Plains Food Laboratory has initiated 163 scientific research projects, achieved 16 key technological breakthroughs, and released 36 representative results, generating over 300 million yuan in technical service income and directly increasing enterprise sales revenue by 15 billion Yuan.
4. Strengthening Regulatory Safeguards for Industry Development: We have diligently implemented the "four strictest" requirements, building a comprehensive food safety management system to solidify the foundation for healthy industrial development. Progressing towards building a food safety province, we have established a full-chain supervision mechanism from the farmland to the dining table. Rigorous food safety supervision and strict crackdowns on food safety violations have promoted the healthy development of the food industry. In 2022, the food safety compliance rate in Henan reached 99%, with public satisfaction in food safety rising to 82.1%, placing us among the top in national food safety evaluations. This has significantly safeguarded the food safety of our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, ‘Bosom friends make distance disappear.’ More than two thousand years ago, silk from the Eastern Han Dynasty traveled from Luoyang to Central Asia and Europe, creating a bridge of civilization between Asia and Europe along the ancient Silk Road. In the new era, Henan, by constructing aerial, land, online, and maritime ‘Silk Roads,’ has embraced the world and open development, becoming a vital node in jointly building the Belt and Road. We look forward to deepening cooperation in agriculture, the food industry, and other areas with countries along the Belt and Road through this forum. We sincerely invite all guests, entrepreneurs, and scholars to visit and invest in Henan, sharing new development opportunities and jointly creating a new chapter of cooperation.
Lastly, I wish the 16th Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum great success! I hope all guests and friends enjoy good health and good fortune.
Thank you.
The theme of the forum is, ‘Deepening the Belt and Road Cooperation in Agriculture and Food: Jointly Creating a Better Life for Humanity.’ Leaders from the State Administration for Market Regulation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Health Commission, General Administration of Customs, as well as leaders from Shanghai, Henan, Hainan, and other provincial governments, representatives of provincial market supervision departments, representatives of relevant United Nations organizations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and embassies of South Africa, the Netherlands, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Senegal, among others, along with over 400 delegates from domestic and international enterprises, participated in the forum. Guests collectively deliberated on agricultural cooperation and food industry development, contributing insights and strategies for the high-quality development of agriculture and food industries in the Belt and Road Initiative, highlighting the role of the forum as a platform for policy interpretation.
2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Eco-Agriculture and Food Safety Forum. Over the past decade, the forum has been successfully held for 15 sessions within the framework of the National Food Safety Publicity Week and the China International Import Expo. The forum has solidly promoted high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, extensively conducted exchanges and cooperation in the agricultural and food industries, played a significant role in the development and safety of agricultural food industries in the countries along the route, and facilitated smooth international trade among the Belt and Road countries.
