From fresh fruit to fresh-cut, exploring new ways for high-quality development of Guangdong pineapple.
At 1 am, Zhanjiang Xiaoxianbo Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. was brightly lit. Cold chain cars in front of the door, one after another; Workers pack and load cars in one go. Accompanied by the roar of the engine, boxes of fresh-cut pineapples sailed northward from the southernmost tip of Chinese mainland, and appeared on the supermarkets’ platforms on time before 12: 00 the next morning.
Looking at the printed orders, Chen Lixiong, the general manager of the company, said: "Every day, the phone is bombarded by buyers, but the production capacity is limited, so I dare not take orders casually." He is considering expanding the processing plant of 1000 square meters to 10000 square meters.
The local large and small processing plants are similar to Chen Lixiong’s situation, which means that the market for fresh-cut pineapples has really opened up.
From selling fresh fruits to selling fresh cuts, the seemingly simple "pineapple peeled and cut for sale" has cut a big market. This "cut" is the initial processing from sporadic to scale, forming a new format; It is also an effective exploration for Guangdong to implant the concept of industrialization into "local products", extend the industrial chain, make agricultural products foodized and promote the high-quality development of agriculture.
Open the bag and eat immediately to solve the pain point of pineapple fresh fruit consumption
Like the southernmost climate in Chinese mainland, fresh-cut pineapples are "hot" at the moment.
Xu Wenren Wei Shiqi felt this "fiery". This year, the fresh-cut pineapples produced by his company have added markets such as Xinjiang and Shenyang, and a batch of products will be delivered to Chengdu, Hefei and Wuhan every two days.
In Guangzhou, fresh-cut pineapples are essential regardless of cheap fruit shops, high-end supermarkets or online platforms, and they are often sold out of stock. "The best seller in the store now is fresh-cut small pineapples, which are sold short every day and purchased every day." The clerk of a fruit shop in Zhujiang New Town said.
In Shanghai, Guangdong fresh-cut pineapple is becoming a part of local residents’ taste life. "Shanghainese have high requirements for the freshness and sweetness of pineapples, and fresh-cut pineapples sell well." Zhang Han, general manager of Shanghai Xianrui Biotechnology, said that at present, the price of Xuwen fresh-cut pineapple is 100-120 yuan/box, and the daily sales exceed 15,000 Jin.
Fresh-cut fruit is not novel. It is a lightly processed fruit, fresh and ready-to-eat, with an edible rate of 100%. It is often used as snack food and dessert. Statistics show that the market size of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables industry in the United States is as high as 12.5 billion US dollars.
Compared with other fruits and vegetables, peeling and cutting pineapple has always been a difficult problem, and fresh-cut pineapple has solved this problem. "After grading, cleaning, sorting, peeling, cutting and packaging, pineapples can be directly introduced to the market, and it is convenient and fast to eat when opened." Wu Jianlian, president of Xuwen Pineapple Association, said that compared with small pineapples in Thailand, Xuwen fresh-cut pineapples have shorter transportation links, no need for excessive preservation treatment, low cost and full flavor. "Now, the fresh-cut pineapples that can be seen in the domestic market are basically produced by Xuwen, and there are few small pineapples in Thailand." Wei Shiqi said.
Yu Huiyong, founder and chairman of Baiguoyuan Group, is very optimistic about the fresh-cut pineapple market. "Fresh-cut pineapple not only solves the problem of peeling, but also allows consumers to directly see the maturity and quality of pineapple." He believes that guiding consumption upgrading can drive industrial development. With the upgrading of fresh-cut processing technology and the cultivation of consumption habits, fresh-cut pineapples will become the explosion of the fruit industry and the new favorite of young people.
"Fresh-cut pineapples have potential!" Mialin, chairman of Hebei Shouheng Group, saw the huge market potential of Guangdong pineapple. He said that deep-processed pineapple products such as dried pineapple and pineapple cake are very popular in the northern market, and suggested that Xuwen pineapple try to set up a pre-production and processing base to better adapt to and explore the northern market.
Prefabrication, batch cutting out the new blue ocean of industry
Fresh-cut pineapple is a new breakthrough in the development of Xuwen pineapple industry. Wei Shiqi, a "post-90 s" youth who planted pineapples for four generations, returned to his hometown Xuwen and engaged in pineapple e-commerce. He found that no one wanted a single fruit under 1 kg. "Small pineapples have the same taste and sweetness as big pineapples, and even have better quality, but they are small. But whether it is wholesale procurement or e-commerce sales, it only needs big pineapples. "
In the spring of 2021, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Guangdong Province, after investigation, decided to push for prefabricated vegetables and solve the problem of agricultural standardization through industrial production. In October of the same year, Guangdong Prefabricated Vegetable Industry Alliance was established. Then, the general office of the provincial government launched "Ten Measures to Accelerate the High-quality Development of Guangdong Prefabricated Vegetable Industry", and Guangdong Prefabricated Vegetable Industry entered the fast lane.
The construction of "12221" market system of agricultural products starts with solving the problem of selling. How to tap the greater value potential of pineapple? Seize the outlet of prefabricated vegetables and promote the industrial production of pineapple! "Thailand can make fresh-cut small pineapples, why can’t we?" Under the guidance of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, xuwen county issued Ten Measures to Promote the Development of Pineapple Processing Industry, taking the lead in publishing Xuwen fresh-cut pineapple industry standards and deploying and building pineapple processing industry clusters.
Wei Shiqi found that Thai small pineapples are packed in a box of 16 Jin, and the price is as high as three or four hundred yuan, and they are often sold out of stock. "’post-90 s’ has gradually become a major consumer group, and they like it." Exploring business opportunities everywhere, he immediately set about preparing to build a factory, and cooperated with relevant units of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences to develop fresh-cut pineapple products, turning small pineapples that had been abandoned by the market into "golden pineapples".
A wave of "fresh cutting" promoted by government departments and participated by the whole industry chain is coming. Huang Jie, the person in charge of Box Horse Fresh Life, said that at present, the sales volume of pineapple slices in Guangzhou and Shenzhen accounts for 80%. Box Horse Store provides fresh-cut and home delivery services, with an average daily sales of about 10,000 Xuwen Golden Diamond pineapples, and the sales volume is still in the fast climbing period. "The fruit market is relatively saturated, and fresh-cut fruit is opening up a new situation, which is the result of market orientation." Feng Weihua, general manager of Qian Aunt, said.
Hot fresh cuts attract capital to "catch up quickly". In November last year, a mechanized, standardized and intelligent fresh-cut pineapple production line was built in xuwen county, which is the first 100,000-ton, low-temperature, aseptic processing factory in western Guangdong that fully meets the new national standards for the processing of ready-to-eat fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Compared with traditional manual peeling, one machine can produce 15 thousand Jin a day, and the efficiency is increased by 50 times.
Recently, the Technical Specification for Fresh-cut Pineapple Processing, declared by the Institute of Sericulture and Agricultural Products Processing of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was approved, which filled the blank of domestic technical standards for fresh-cut pineapple processing. "The establishment of a nationwide technical specification for fresh-cut pineapple processing can ensure product quality and safety." Xu Yujuan, director of the Institute of Sericulture and Agricultural Products Processing of the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said.
As the first batch of people who ate crabs, Chen Lixiong invested 6 million yuan in 2020 to build Zhanjiang Xiaoxianbo Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd. In just three years, its partners have expanded to seven large supermarkets and fresh-keeping platforms such as Box Horse, Wal-Mart and Meituan Youxuan, and the daily output has increased from the initial 10,000 kilograms to 40,000 kilograms. "In 2022, the company’s output value was about 24 million yuan. This year, it is estimated that the output value will reach 30 million yuan. " Chen Lixiong is ambitious.
At present, there are 17 fresh-cut pineapple processing enterprises in Xuwen, with an annual processing capacity of 60,000 tons and an output value of about 800 million yuan. "Before 2021, there will be no more than three fresh-cut pineapple processing enterprises in the county, with a daily production capacity of more than 3,000 pieces, each packed in 16 kg. Now our company produces more than 2,000 pieces a day. " Wei Shiqi established Zhanjiang Sanmu Food Co., Ltd. in 2021.
Fresh-cut opens a door, and "small specialty" shows its "versatile" potential. Pineapple grilled fish, pineapple meat, pineapple rice … Pineapple can also be connected with daily necessities such as drinks, textiles and even washing products. "Growing cotton, selling cotton and selling cloth, clothes and brand clothes are not the same. This is the underlying logic of developing prefabricated vegetables to promote farmers’ income and get rich. " The relevant person in charge of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said.
Redefining, the income of fruit farmers is not only in the field.
Fresh-cut fruit is a microcosm of the development of prefabricated vegetables in Guangdong, and it is also the "first workshop" of the prefabricated vegetable industry. As the "hometown of pineapples in China", Xuwen pineapples have a planting area of 350,000 mu, with an annual output of about 700,000 tons. One out of every three pineapples in China is produced in Xuwen. Sticking to the traditional sales method of fresh fruit and simply increasing sales volume, it is difficult to realize the premium of pineapple value. While fresh-cut pineapple enhances the value of pineapple, it allows the majority of fruit farmers to participate in the prefabricated vegetable industry chain and realize co-construction and sharing.
This year, the prepared dishes were written into the "No.1 Document" of the Central Committee for the first time. One end is connected to the field and the other is connected to the kitchen table. Guangdong grabs prefabricated vegetables and develops the advanced road of rural "local products". Huang Zhikong, deputy head of xuwen county, said that fresh-cut pineapple has entered the "new track", and the increase of pineapple value is synchronized with the increase of farmers’ income.
Small pineapple refers to the small pineapple fruit that doesn’t grow in the field. The annual output of Xuwen County is not less than 50,000 tons. In the past, it was a "loss-making goods" in the eyes of fruit farmers. In 2020, the price of small pineapple was only 0.4 yuan/kg. Now, the purchase price of small pineapple field head is stable at 1.2 yuan/kg, and the highest price is 1.7 yuan/kg, which was once higher than that of big pineapple.
He Jinghuan of Sanhe Village, Qujie Town, xuwen county calculated an account: In the past, there were more than 800 kilograms of small pineapples per mu, and according to the current purchase price, the income per mu increased by 800-1000 yuan. In 2022, Ou Xiliang, a pineapple grower in Qujie Town, planted more than 60 acres of pineapples, and the small pineapples in the field turned waste into treasure, which increased the income by about 50,000 yuan compared with previous years, with an average income of 830 yuan per acre.
This year, Chen Yongming, secretary of Sanhe Village, set up a cooperative with village cadres and large growers, and invested nearly 2 million yuan to build a fresh-cut pineapple processing factory. "With the fresh-cut processing factory, it can better drive pineapple sales and increase villagers’ income."
From fresh fruit to fresh-cut, fruit farmers who walked into the workshop and put on work clothes became "workers". Take Wei Shiqi’s company as an example. Every day, nearly 200 people are engaged in pineapple processing and production, with an average daily salary of 200-300 yuan per person. At the peak, the monthly income of individual production workers can reach 20,000 yuan.
In overseas supermarkets, fresh-cut pineapples weighing less than a catty cost $4.58, equivalent to RMB about 33 yuan; The price of pineapple whole fruit is only $2.18, equivalent to about RMB 15.7. The price of a single pineapple after fresh cutting is more than twice that of the original fruit.
On March 15th, 300 kilograms of fresh-cut pineapple was sent from Xuwen to the North American market, breaking the previous record that Guangdong only exported fresh pineapple. "Customers in overseas markets of fresh-cut pineapples have high expectations, and we regard it as a core agricultural product as important as litchi." Yaohua Chen, chairman of Guangdong Zhongli Agricultural Group Co., Ltd. said. According to statistics released by Zhanjiang Customs on March 23rd, this year, Xuwen pineapple has been exported to 375.8 tons, a year-on-year increase of 78.3 times. In the first quarter of this year, Guangdong’s agricultural products exports increased by 35.2% year-on-year, and dried and fresh fruits including pineapples increased by 58.4%.
The core of high-quality development is "high quality and high efficiency", and Guangdong chooses "market" as the focus of industrial development.
Xuwen locals still remember the difficult sales of pineapples in 2018. In 2019, Guangdong began to build a "12221" market system for Xuwen pineapples, effectively solving the sales problem. In the past five years, Xuwen’s pineapple output has increased from more than 500,000 tons to nearly 800,000 tons, the average head price has increased from a few cents a catty to the highest 3 yuan/catty, and the per capita GDP of 150,000 fruit farmers has increased from 23,748 yuan to 33,676 yuan. In 2022, the output value of Xuwen fresh fruit reached the highest level in the past years, about 2.5 billion yuan.
This year, the pineapple market in the producing area has risen steadily. At present, the price of Bali pineapple is 1.5-1.8 yuan/kg, the purchase price of small pineapple is stable at 1.2 yuan/kg, and the price of fresh-cut small pineapple in 16 kg is 90-120 yuan/box.
In the past five years, whether it is to break through the market, adapt to market transformation, or consolidate and expand the market, in the final analysis, "the market is quite before production." Guangdong attaches importance to agriculture by citing the thinking of industrialization, aiming at a "package" of goals: starting a brand, increasing sales and increasing farmers’ income.
For Xuwen pineapple, it is the first step to completely solve the selling difficulty, and the second step is to sell it better, so developing fresh-cut fruits to promote the foodization of agricultural products. At present, there are 31 pineapple processing enterprises in Xuwen, with the output increasing from 30,000 tons in 2017 to 240,000 tons in 2022. The processed products range from single canned products to preserved pineapple, pineapple stuffing, pineapple juice, dried pineapple, pineapple cake and pineapple wine, with an output value of about 1.97 billion yuan.
Innovation has a market, and cross-border can break through. Brand building needs new trends, and agricultural brand building needs to be integrated into the new trends, so as to rejuvenate and break the circle, which is loved by more young people and new consumer groups.
This year, Xuwen Pineapple has created a new scene of fresh-cut pineapple consumption, and the marketing method has gradually become younger and more scene-oriented. The whole network of pineapples is looking for the endorsement of "Kyle", and Guangdong pineapples train through Chang ‘an Avenue, and the "Sea of Pineapples" dances ballet … Guangdong pineapples move heartstrings.
In mid-spring, Guangzhou haizhu lake Park is sunny, with soothing music, enjoying spring outing, flowers, camping and fruit tasting. Under the blooming bauhinia, a "spring limited" pineapple party, "pineapple" moved the heartstrings of Greater Bay Area tourists. Fresh-cut pineapple has become the "new favorite" for people to go camping in Greater Bay Area in the spring. The creative pineapple desserts with fresh-cut pineapple as the original ingredients are flooding into the afternoon tea circle in Shanghai.
Fireworks play a trendy flavor, pineapple creative new play. On April 15th, integrating pineapple creative market, "FUN 4" tide play economy and street concert, Guangdong fresh-cut pineapple went into offline marketing in online celebrity community, bringing new experiences to urban young people from taste, vision and hearing, and creating Guangdong pineapple city carnival.
This spring, pineapples compete for "freshness". "With the diversification of pineapple industry leading the modernization of rural industry, Xu Wen is committed to building a pineapple industry belt with world influence and competitiveness." Luo Hongxia, secretary of Xuwen County Party Committee, is full of confidence. (China Daily Guangdong reporter station Qiu Quanlin | Chloe Wang)
Source: China Daily.
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