Zone aims for modern agriculture, food safety

The Asia-Pacific Agriculture and Food Safety Industry International Model Zone is further consolidating the development foundation of modern agriculture in Jilin province, said Cao Wanli, chief of the biopharmaceutical industry investment promotion bureau of the Changchun high-tech zone.

The United Nations Office for Project Services, Changchun high-tech zone administrative committee and Changchun Wanbang Investment Management Co jointly set up the model zone in October 2014. The UNOPS set up a liaison office in the model zone in Changchun in May of last year.

The model zone expands the scale of Jilin's modern agriculture and shows the importance of food safety, Cao said. "It will become an important platform to transform agriculture into an industry. It will increase farmers' incomes and create new jobs for rural laborers."

Zhu Xinqing, vice-chief of the advanced equipment manufacturing industry investment promotion bureau of the Changchun high-tech zone, said: "The model zone can make good use of Jilin province's good agricultural resources and agricultural technologies in the development of a modern agriculture and food industry."

The model zone aims to use the Internet, mobile Internet and Internet of Things to promote the development of modern agriculture and food security. The project will provide a reference for other developing countries and regions in modernizing agriculture, upgrading industries and solving food safety issues.

According to the cooperation agreement of the three co-founders of the zone, it will focus on important global issues, such as public health, social stability and development, and seek answers to common challenges confronting the world in agriculture and food safety.

The model zone has a planned area of 37 square kilometers, and plans to develop 12 core industries related to modern agriculture and food industries, such as food processing, quality checks, food equipment, safe packaging and logistics. The total planned investment is 50 billion yuan ($7.66 billion), with an annual production value of 200 billion yuan and jobs for 20,000 people, and is expected to increase the income of more than 1 million farmers after it is finished.

"The food quality traceability system keeps consumers well-informed of the origins of the food they buy," said Zhu. "This system is a key research project in the model zone."

The zone will have exhibition halls for different countries to display their agriculture and related industries. So far, Denmark, India and Australia have shown interest in having such exhibition halls.

Sun Yaming, the vice-mayor of Changchun, said the city government would strongly support the construction of the model zone with policies covering technology, human resources and industry, and he hoped the project can be accomplished successfully.

Contact the writers through liyang@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 03/08/2016 page10)