Economic Watch: China's agricultural leap from product exports to systemic global integration

TIANJIN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At the recently concluded 22nd China International Agricultural Trade Fair in north China's Tianjin Municipality, the shift in China's agricultural export strategy was on full display.

Xiao Bo, president of Xinfeng County Zhengda Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., peeled and sliced navel oranges for visitors to taste, showcasing a range of high-value products like orange wine, tea, and dried slices.

"We have developed a series of value-added products centered on navel oranges, which have been exported to Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, with plans to enter markets like Japan and the UAE," Xiao said.

This move reflects a broader trend where Chinese agricultural exports are evolving from raw commodities to branded, finished and premium goods, as noted by Hu Bingchuan, director of the agricultural product trade and policy research office at the Institute of Rural Development, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Beyond individual products, companies like Shaanxi Ruijie Ecological Technology Development Co. are exporting premium apple varieties such as "Ruixue" in gift boxes, with overseas sales steadily rising.

However, the transformation extends further to encompass entire agricultural systems, including breeding, planting, management and digital services.

China's agricultural machinery sector, for instance, saw robust growth in the first half of this year, with exports reaching 9.305 billion U.S. dollars, a 26.5 percent year-on-year increase, according to customs data.

Zhang Zhanjun, senior manager of the Hebei region at China Yituo Group Co., Ltd. (No.1 Tractor Manufacturing Factory), highlighted technological advances: "From the first 'Dongfanghong' tractor to smart agricultural machinery supporting China's smart agriculture, we have made continuous breakthroughs."

Yituo aims to export over 10,000 tractors this year, up from nearly 8,000 in 2024.

In the agricultural technology section of the fair, bio-bred corn and soybean plants attracted attention for their pest-resistant traits. Beijing Dabeinong Biotechnology Co., Ltd. has expanded its South American operations since 2013, with several bio-bred soybean products approved for planting locally.

Simultaneously, digital integration is accelerating this systemic outreach. Rural Credit Digital Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd., for example, leverages IoT, big data, and AI to offer "hardware-software-intelligence" solutions, such as a digital platform for the entire pig industry chain.

"We are building a data-driven global smart agriculture service platform to integrate resources and export China's innovative solutions," said Yu Ying, vice president of the company.

This shift is underpinned by enhanced international cooperation, as seen in initiatives like the Tianjin-Jilin-Guangdong provincial collaboration proposal released at the fair, which aims to deepen regional agricultural coordination.

"The application scenarios and value creation of agricultural 'going-global' will undoubtedly surpass our current imagination," Hu said. ■