Agriculture & Food

With the first mention of "cultivating and developing the prefabricated vegetable industry" in the No. 1 central document in 2023, all parts of the country are actively promoting the development of the prefabricated vegetable industry. At the same time, many pre made vegetable enterprises are already conducting foreign trade, and some local government departments are also focusing on creating conditions for local pre made vegetables to "go global". Prefabricated vegetable trade is a bridge and link between "small farmers" and "big markets", a new channel for realizing the value-added of agricultural products, and a new engine for promoting rural revitalization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas. The problems that may be faced in international trade of prefabricated vegetables require high attention and active resolution.

Why is the trade of prefabricated vegetables inevitable?

Promoting international trade in prefabricated vegetables is the essence of making good use of "two markets, two resources". The trade in prefabricated vegetables is inevitable and has great potential, and is a new trend in agricultural trade.

Firstly, the trade of prefabricated vegetables is a requirement for optimizing the allocation of resource elements in the international trade market. From the perspective of trade theory, China has significant international advantages in the research and development and production of Chinese prefabricated dishes. Conducting trade in Chinese prefabricated dishes is in line with the direction of optimizing international resource allocation and has economic feasibility. At the same time, prefabricated dishes will effectively reduce the cost of cooking service trade and improve the welfare level of both foreign consumers and Chinese prefabricated vegetable production enterprises.

Secondly, the trade of prefabricated vegetables is a requirement for the high-quality development of agricultural trade. Developing international trade exports of prefabricated vegetables will help increase the proportion of processed agricultural products exported, enrich China's agricultural product export categories, and improve the export structure of agricultural products; Prefabricated dishes integrate processing value, cultural value, and brand value, effectively enhancing the export value of agricultural products; Promote the transformation of homogeneous agricultural products into differentiated processed products, tap into the potential of segmented agricultural product export markets, cultivate new international competitive advantages, and to some extent reduce competition within the agricultural export industry.

Finally, the trade of prefabricated vegetables is a requirement for building a "dual circulation" pattern. Due to factors such as stable growth in the catering market, traditional dietary concepts, and the easy availability of ready to eat dishes in China, the demand for pre made dishes in the domestic market has limited short-term growth. As China's international influence continues to increase, Chinese food and Chinese food culture are also widely spread around the world, laying a cultural foundation for Chinese prepared dishes to develop overseas markets. Overseas food enthusiasts, Chinese and overseas Chinese have a strong interest in authentic Chinese cuisine, which has laid a demand foundation for the development of international trade markets for Chinese pre made dishes. The overseas pre made vegetable industry started early and the market is relatively mature. Consumers have a high level of acceptance of pre made vegetables. With its unique international competitive advantage, Chinese pre made vegetables are expected to tap into the huge potential of the overseas market.

What problems may pre made vegetable trade face?

At present, China's pre made vegetable trade is not mature enough, and the further development of pre made vegetable trade still faces a series of problems. From the perspective of production links, the low concentration ratio of the prefabricated vegetable industry, the lagging construction of the industry standard system, and the low comprehensive quality of the prefabricated vegetable products directly weaken the industrial foundation of the prefabricated vegetable trade.

From the perspective of trade, due to the diversification of pre made vegetable products and the inclusion of multiple raw materials, it may cause related issues in trade, leading to intervention by importing countries in pre made vegetable trade and relatively increased trade risks. In addition, the preservation technology of prefabricated vegetables also limits the breadth and depth of prefabricated vegetable trade. Improving the preservation technology of prefabricated vegetables not only helps to reduce the high cost of the entire cold chain, but also extends the optimal taste period of prefabricated vegetables, ensures the long-term transportation and shelf life of prefabricated vegetables, and enriches the variety of prefabricated vegetables available for export, which has a significant impact on prefabricated vegetable trade.

From the perspective of consumption, firstly, it is not easy to explore the overseas market of prefabricated vegetables. On the one hand, there are common problems in expanding overseas markets, such as low brand awareness overseas and difficulty in cooperating with overseas supermarkets; On the other hand, as a new product, Chinese pre made dishes need to cultivate an overseas consumer market. Although overseas food enthusiasts, Chinese and overseas Chinese may be the main consumer groups of Chinese pre made dishes, how to further expand the consumer group, develop the taste style consumption into daily consumption, and form a stable demand market requires continuous exploration and promotion. The second challenge is the consumption model of prefabricated dishes. The proportion of C-end in the overseas prefabricated vegetable market is much higher than that in China, and there will be a series of adaptive adjustments in the process of expanding overseas markets. The demand for prefabricated vegetables on the C-end is more diverse, with more dispersed sales positions, smaller single order amounts, and higher purchase frequency. The profit model is significantly different from that on the B-end, and new requirements are put forward for product research and development, launch cycle, distribution channels, packaging design, cold chain warehousing, customer service, and other links. This poses new challenges to the cost control and ability to attract consumption of enterprises.

How to promote the high-quality development of prefabricated vegetable trade?

The significance of prefabricated vegetable trade is significant, and it should be promoted from the perspective of serving the overall situation of national agricultural foreign trade, from the depth of promoting the prosperity of rural industries and increasing farmers' income, and from the breadth of promoting the development of the entire prefabricated vegetable industry chain, to promote the high-quality development of prefabricated vegetable trade.

Firstly, we will introduce policies to support the development of the prefabricated vegetable industry. Local government departments attach great importance to the prefabricated vegetable industry, actively introduce industrial support policies, further support and guide the healthy development of the industry, consolidate the foundation of the prefabricated vegetable industry, and create conditions for trade.

The second is to increase research and innovation efforts and commercialize the application of achievements. The transformation level of the Chinese food industry directly determines the development level of the pre made vegetable industry, and high reduction pre made vegetables are the foundation of high-quality pre made vegetable trade. Guide research institutes and enterprises to increase investment in prefabricated vegetable research, and focus on technical research and product development. Build a platform for exchanging and showcasing scientific research achievements related to prefabricated dishes, and assist in precise docking between production and research.

The third is to accelerate the formulation of pre made vegetable industry standards. The diversity of Chinese cuisine and the numerous links in the pre made food industry chain require the diversification and systematization of pre made food industry standards, and a sound standard system can regulate the high-quality development of pre made food trade. Guide local governments, industry associations, or enterprises to take the lead in formulating local and group standards for prefabricated vegetables, promote their upgrading to national and industry standards, and improve the standard system for the prefabricated vegetable industry.

Fourthly, accelerate the construction of a data statistics system for prefabricated dishes. The current data related to prefabricated vegetables mainly comes from research and consulting institutions, sales platforms, etc., lacking official statistical data and statistics on the entire industrial chain of prefabricated vegetable production, circulation, trade, etc. Promote relevant departments to carry out data statistics related to prefabricated vegetables, accurately grasp the trend of the prefabricated vegetable industry, and effectively promote the healthy and orderly development of the prefabricated vegetable industry.

Fifth, promote the construction of prefabricated vegetable export industrial parks. Encourage and support the construction of prefabricated vegetable export industrial parks in places where conditions permit, leverage the advantages of park agglomeration resources, connect the prefabricated vegetable industry chain, and form a synergy, cultivating a group of leading enterprises in prefabricated vegetable export.

Six is to assist the prefabricated vegetable industry in exploring the international trade market. Guide prefabricated vegetable enterprises to carry out overseas marketing, increase official publicity and promotion efforts, and work together to create an internationally renowned brand of prefabricated vegetables. Help prefabricated vegetable enterprises make good use of the policy dividends of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements such as RCEP, and better carry out global production and trade layout. Strengthen research on pre made vegetable trade, scientifically assess the global pre made vegetable market trend, help enterprises explore market opportunities and respond to market risks.