Central China's farm produce takes over tables worldwide

ZHENGZHOU - Sanmenxia apples are ready to be sent to Peru, where authorities recently gave the green light to imports of the fruit produced in central China's Henan province.

Peru joins Canada, the United States, and Chile among the overseas markets where Sanmenxia apples are sold.

Kong Weidong, deputy director of Sanmenxia Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, said apple exports were just the start for the city.

"Representatives from some countries have come to our city to inspect our products recently. We are very confident about the quality of our farm produce and believe it can be presented on tables across the world," Kong said.

On Funiu mountain, located in Xixia county in Henan, Wang Haixian's mushrooms are in demand in Japanese markets.

Wang, 56, plants mushrooms in a remote village. His mushrooms will be dried and sent to the county's mushroom trading market and eventually be sold in supermarkets in Japan.

There are many villagers like Wang, whose mushrooms have connected the small county with the world economy in recent years. Xixia mushrooms have been exported to Germany, Russia, Mexico and countries along the Belt and Road.

Statistics showed that the amount of mushroom exports in Xixia county increased to 4.38 billion yuan ($660 million) in 2016 from 2.5 billion yuan in 2014.

Xixia has grown into the largest dried mushroom distribution hub in China, as well as the largest mushroom information exchange center and price formation center.

The success of Xixia's mushroom industry is attributed to a strategy pushed forward by the provincial government to encourage exporting food and farm produce.

Henan province, sometimes called the "granary of China," ranks in the top three nationwide for its total output of grain, cotton, cooking oil and meat. However, it wasn't until a strategy was implemented in 2015 that it could make the most of its advantages.

The strategy has inspired counties across the province to develop their own exports, which has been called "one county, one export" or "one county, multiple exports."

After repeated discussions and surveys, 14 products, including mushrooms, meat products, food additives, vegetables and fruit juice, have been grown as key exports from the province.

Henan's food and farm produce exports in 2016 hit a record high to more than 20 billion yuan, becoming the engine of the province's exports.

So far, 30 national food and farm produce quality safety demonstration zones have been established in the province to improve the quality of farm produce and strengthen management of farm produce in the zones.

China's farm produce has a long history of going beyond the country's borders. According to the General Administration of Customs, the value of farm produce exports from January to October reached 405.6 billion yuan, up by 6.3 percent year-on-year.