Ministry of
Agriculture sources are reporting 50 percent growth in "green
food" exports every year since 1997. Over a fruitful period of
development, exports have increased from 2.5 percent to 6.5 percent
of output.
Technical standards have been established to quality assure the
"green food" mark. They cover environmental standards, methods of
production, quality systems, labelling, storage and transportation.
Quality standards are every bit as rigorous as those of the
European Union, United States and Japan. The AA green food standard
in particular is commensurate with best international practice.
This has been a time of rapid development in those influences which
have come together to provide the guarantee of quality. There have
been advances in technology, marketing, dissemination of
information, quality systems and in the legislation that created
the environment in which all of this has taken place.
The benefits arising from the quality standards and branding have
provided the green food industry with the prerequisite commercial
strength necessary to secure investment in the technology for
further expansion into the export market.
By
2001, as many as 2,400 green food branded items had been brought to
market, an increase of 23 percent since 1998. This however
represented a leap of no less than 140 percent to 20 million tons
when viewed in terms of total output.
Also by 2001, sales revenues had broken the 50 billion yuan (US$6
billion) barrier, up 75 percent on 1998. Foreign exchange earnings
were some US$400 million, up 500 percent on 1997.
(china.org.cn by Tang Fuchun August 26, 2002)