Weifang to host intl food, agriculture expo again

From Oct 28 to 30, the second Weifang International Food and Agricultural Products Expo will be held in Weifang, Shandong province, a city known for agriculture, the local government said in a news conference in Beijing on Friday.

About 200 agricultural enterprises from home and abroad have confirmed their attendance at the upcoming expo, which will take place at the Weifang National Pilot Zone for Agricultural Opening-up and Development.

The pilot zone, established in 2018, stands as the country's first experimental zone for international agricultural cooperation, as China aims to demonstrate its determination to strengthen opening-up in agriculture.

Last year, the total agricultural output value of Shandong province reached 1.02 trillion yuan ($158.2 billion), and Shandong became the first province in China to see its annual agricultural output exceed 1 trillion yuan. Meanwhile in 2020, the total agricultural output value of Weifang exceeded 100 billion yuan, and the value topped other cities in the province, according to the local government.

Weifang has been serving as a major vegetable base in China. So far, the agricultural products of Weifang have been exported to more than 120 countries and regions, and the city has 748 food production enterprises that have been involved in the export business, the local government said.

A large number of major international and national agricultural enterprises will attend the event. They include US agricultural and food company Cargill Inc, US agribusiness company Syngenta, China's biggest food trader COFCO Group, Chinese company Beidahuang Group Co Ltd, New Hope Group and Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd.

During the upcoming expo, government officials, business leaders and industry experts will discuss issues about agricultural modernization and prospects of international agricultural cooperation in the countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The event is expected to help with the development of China's agricultural sector and boosts its further opening-up.