The food processing industry in Pingyao county has grown steadily during the first three quarters of 2016.

Despite the economic downturn, the industrial added value of farm produce and its byproducts reached 285 million yuan ($41.55 million) during the first three quarters of this year, representing year-on-year growth of 19.29 percent with profits of 27.14 million yuan, an increase of 3.6 percent.

The leading agricultural companies in the county achieved 2.13 billion yuan in sales, up 23.12 percent on that of 2015, through efficient operations and brand promotion.

Shanxi Pingyao Beef Group, one of the top food processing businesses in the region, always gives first priority to food safety when processing its products. To improve competitiveness, the group has attached importance to branding and market expansion. With e-commerce platforms and offline outlets across Shanxi, it has established a national brand — Guanyun Beef.

As a result, the company generated revenue of 604 million yuan and made a profit of 12 million yuan from January to October in 2016.

In recent years, Pingyao has supported several local leading companies in the food processing field, giving impetus to local agriculture. It put the construction of a food industrial park on the agenda in September 2016 to further the development of the local food processing industry.

Workers process meat in the workshop of Shanxi Pingyao Beef Group. The company now processes more than 100 kinds of meat products in eight different categories, such as beef, chicken and pork. [Photo/pingyao.gov.cn]