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Opening a new chapter in agricultural heritage conservation and charting a new blueprint for zhejiang’s premium products going global. Yesterday, the Qingtian Agricultural Heritage 20th Anniversary & Premium Agricultural Product Export Promotion Event was held in Qingtian County. The event, marking the 20th anniversary of Qingtian’s agricultural heritage, integrated the unique characteristics of Qingtian as a hometown for overseas Chinese and leveraged its global trade network to blend agricultural heritage elements with international symbols, realizing the vision of “The Premium Farm Products in Zhejiang Province: Qingtian Goes Global”.
In June 2005, the Qingtian Rice-Fish Coculture System became the first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) officially designated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), putting Qingtian’s agricultural wisdom on the world map. Over the years, Qingtian has actively explored the five major values of agricultural heritage, continuously seeking new pathways to realize heritage value with Qingtian characteristics. This has driven the steady expansion of rice-fish farming and the extension of industrial chains, increasing farmers’ income by nearly 2,000 yuan per mu. The rice-fish coculture system was also recognized as a global best practice in poverty reduction.
Today, amid reshaping global trade dynamics, agricultural product exports have become a key growth area, driven by the Belt and Road Initiative and the benefits of RCEP. This presents a major opportunity for Qingtian to expand agricultural exports and ensure the sustainable development of its heritage industry. With a network of 381,000 overseas Chinese spanning 146 countries and regions, Qingtian has established a European Food Industrial Park integrating food processing, warehousing, logistics, international trade, and R&D. Centered on the Hometown of Overseas Chinese Agricultural Products City, it has formed an overseas agricultural trade alliance, creating a comprehensive export system that promotes the large-scale, standardized, and branded global expansion of Qingtian’s agricultural products.
“We are committed to building Qingtian into the nation’s leading hub for agricultural exports. By 2027, we aim to achieve a total output value of 3 billion yuan for local specialty products, add over 50 new export food material base certifications, and boost the annual export value of Qingtian’s agricultural products to exceed 150 million yuan,” said a relevant official from the Qingtian County Party Committee.
To further attract premium agricultural products to Qingtian and establish a distribution center for “buying nationwide, selling globally”, while streamlining the process from production to customs clearance, Qingtian has partnered with Lishui Customs to establish the “Agricultural Product Export Policy Research Center”, which was officially unveiled at the opening ceremony.
An official from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs noted that Qingtian, as a hometown for overseas Chinese, serves as a vital bridgehead for agricultural exports. They expressed hope that Qingtian would further leverage its advantages, strengthen its cross-border agricultural export base, and help more premium Zhejiang products reach international markets, allowing consumers worldwide to enjoy the finest “delicacies from mountains and seas” of Zhejiang province.
Notably, this promotion event also highlighted Qingtian’s overseas Chinese heritage by setting up multiple exhibition zones, including premium agricultural products and new energy vehicles. Over 100 domestic premium agricultural producers showcased more than 3,000 types of products, attracting over 300 buyers, including leading enterprises, premium supermarkets, and industry associations from home and abroad.