Zhanjiang to nurture 'big pineapple industry'

Zhanjiang will lead the way in developing a "big pineapple industry" to raise the added value of local products and gain a foothold in the highly competitive market.

This was announced at a work conference held by the Agricultural Product Processing Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science and the Zhanjiang government on Aug 8.

The pineapple is the pillar industry of Zhanjiang. However, local enterprises have long been encumbered by a unitary product line, short industrial chain, and deficient brand awareness, making it difficult to elevate the value of the products and resulting in frequent overstocking.

At the conference, Li Jihua, president of the research institute, briefed people on the current situation, existing problems and future layout of Zhanjiang's pineapple industry. He suggested that the local pineapple industry should develop new products and cultivate its own brand.

The Zhanjiang Agricultural Bureau, along with lower-level authorities, will assist research institutes, pineapple processing enterprises, and farmers in pushing forward scientific and technological transformation, according to Chen Liu, director of the bureau.

Both parties agreed to establish a demonstration base for growing rare pineapple species and a demonstration production base to improve pineapple quality. A supplementary quality safety supervision system will also be established.

Meanwhile, leading pineapple companies in the city will be encouraged to undergo technical transformation. Mechanization is expected to affect the entire pineapple industrial chain, from planting and harvesting to processing.