Agriculture & Food

Customs data shows that in recent years, Chinese canned goods have been selling well overseas, and the export volume has continued to rise. Customs data shows that in 2022, China's canned goods export volume and export value increased by 12% and 22% year-on-year, respectively, reaching new highs in recent years. China has been the largest producer and exporter of canned goods for many years, accounting for about a quarter of the global production. What are the reasons behind why small cans can showcase their skills in the international market?

The reporter learned during the visit that canned food, as one of the earliest industries in China to be in line with international standards, has been increasing its share in the international market year by year due to its production scale and cost advantages. In recent years, China's canned food production technology has been continuously upgraded, especially with the improvement of production line automation level. While improving quality, it has reduced production costs, leading to the continuous expansion of canned food export advantages.

CCTV reporter Wu Nanxin: This is an automated production line for canned corn. After a fresh corn enters the production line, it is cleared of impurities, separated from screening, and then filled and sealed in only 20 minutes. In the past, producing 200 tons of such canned corn often required 600 to 700 workers to work all day, but now only 50 workers are needed to complete it.

According to customs data, there are over a thousand canned goods export enterprises in Zhangzhou, Fujian, producing approximately 15.6% of the total canned goods export volume in China. At present, the automated production of major varieties has been basically achieved, and the level of automation is still continuously improving.

Lin Fadai, Deputy Director of Zhangzhou Customs: In the first quarter of this year, Zhangzhou exported 98000 tons of canned goods, mainly including meat, fruits, and fish, to approximately 160 countries and regions around the world.

Customs data shows that in the past year, there have been over 500 patent applications related to canned goods nationwide, covering aspects such as disinfection, sterilization, cleaning, sorting, and sealing of canned goods. According to customs data, in the first two months of 2023, China exported a total of 523300 tons of various canned goods, with an export value of 1.22 billion US dollars, an increase of 10% and 23% year-on-year, respectively.