Fugu’s High-Quality Agricultural Products Promoted in Beijing to Boost Rural Revitalization

With the themes of "Sharing High-Quality Products from the Frontier in the Capital" and "A Date with Mountains and Rivers, Tasting Fugu", the "Fugu High-Quality Agricultural Products Joint Poverty Alleviation Promotion Conference at Beijing Financial Street" was held at Xiwai Cultural and Leisure Plaza in Xicheng District, Beijing, from April 26 to 28. Hosted by the People’s Government of Fugu County, Shaanxi Province, and Financial Street Property Co., Ltd., the event aimed to introduce high-quality agricultural and special products into the core business district of the capital through government-enterprise cooperation, open up the "last mile" of production and marketing connection, and inject strong momentum into rural revitalization.

Xinhua News Agency reports that Fugu County, known as the "Hometown of Chinese Yellow Rice", boasts unique agricultural ecological conditions due to its location at the junction of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia, with the Yellow River flowing southward around it. The county has long been committed to upgrading its agricultural industry, forming a complete industrial chain for crops such as broomcorn millet (yellow rice) and building distinctive agricultural brands.

At the promotion conference, 37 kinds of characteristic agricultural products from Fugu County were displayed, including Fugu miscellaneous grains, almonds and sweet glutinous corn. More than 10 local characteristic delicacies, such as oil cakes, yellow rice glutinous rice balls, rice jelly and braised mutton, were also provided for Beijing consumers to taste and experience. In addition, 6 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) cultural and creative products from Fugu, such as dough flowers, paper-cutting and weaving, were exhibited, comprehensively presenting the achievements of Fugu’s rural revitalization.

Zhang Minbo, Deputy County Mayor of Fugu County People’s Government, stated that the promotion conference is an important milestone for Fugu’s agriculture to go out of Shaanxi and embrace the capital market. "We hope to leverage the location advantage and consumption potential of Xicheng District, Beijing, to polish the golden brand of ‘Fugu Premium Products’ and achieve a win-win situation for farmers’ income increase and enterprise development," he added.

At the opening ceremony, Hong Tao, Vice Chairman of the China Consumer Economics Association, Chai Yan, a well-known national expert on miscellaneous grains, and Yang Yidan, Professor of Northwest A&F University, delivered special reports respectively. Their reports focused on the strategic significance and development opportunities of promoting agricultural and special products in Beijing, the development history of Fugu’s yellow rice industry, and the protection of Fugu’s sea buckthorn cultivation system and its integrated development with the big health industry. Meanwhile, Fugu County Agricultural Industry Investment Co., Ltd. signed strategic cooperation agreements with some supply chain enterprises in Beijing and other places.

In recent years, Fugu County has actively built agricultural brands and cultivated a number of influential regional public brands and enterprise product brands. Fugu broomcorn millet (yellow rice) and Fugu millet have successively obtained green and organic food certifications. "Fugu Sea Buckthorn" has been recognized as a national geographical indication product and the 7th batch of China’s Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage. Both "Fugu Yellow Rice" and "Fugu Sea Buckthorn" have completed the registration of geographical indication certification trademarks, and five products including Fugu yellow rice and Fugu mutton have been included in the national list of famous, special and high-quality new agricultural products.

Guan Hongyan, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Yiji Life Service Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Beijing Financial Street Property and one of the specific organizers of the event, said that relying on community commercial outlets and through online-offline linkage, the company will not only bring Fugu’s high-quality miscellaneous grains and sea buckthorn products to the dining tables of Beijing citizens, but also tell the "story of Fugu’s agricultural products". This will realize complementary resources between the two places, continuously open up channels for high-quality agricultural products to enter cities, and contribute to the prosperity of rural industries and farmers’ income increase with practical actions.