From yogurt from Bulgaria, olive oil from Greece, milk from Poland, beer from the Czech Republic and Tokaj wine from Hungary, agricultural products from Central and Eastern European countries have made their way into the homes of the Chinese people. They have enriched people's dinner tables and become a window into the customs of Central and Eastern European countries。Due to natural conditions and historical factors, Central and Eastern European countries are particularly dependent on agriculture。Trade in agricultural products occupies a prominent position in the cooperation between China and CEE countries, and agriculture is also one of the key areas of cooperation between the two sides。
Since the beginning of this year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the agricultural consumption and foreign trade channels of CEE countries have been affected to varying degrees and suffered serious losses。As China has achieved serious strategic results in its fight against COVID-19, its economy has been steadily improving, which has led to the recovery of trade in agricultural products between central and Eastern Europe, and the Chinese market has become a new growth point for their agricultural exports。
Exports to China bucked the trend
Vovich County is one of Poland's important dairy consumers, less than 100 kilometers from Lodz station, the terminus of the China-Europe Railway line, where more than 600 containers worth 10 million euros of dairy products are sold to China every year。Thanks to the growth of the Chinese market, the export volume of Polish dairy products to China has increased rapidly。
Poland's dairy industry, which is heavily dependent on the European market, has been hit hard by a sharp drop in European demand after the outbreak, forcing many farmers to reduce their stocks to contain the damage。Simon Marcos, sales manager of the Vvich Regional Milk Cooperative, said: "The epidemic has increased our cost of storing and transporting dairy products by about 20%, and many large cattle farmers are on the verge of bankruptcy, assuming that without the Chinese market, our losses would be even greater.。”
In the first half of this year, Polish milk and cream exports to China increased by 25 percent, and whey powder exports increased by 1.6 times, complete the uptrend。Mariziewska, director of the Polish Milk Chamber of Commerce, said: "Polish dairy products are very popular in China because of their green, healthy quality and common taste。In the face of the epidemic and rising trade protectionism, China has become an important export direction for us, and it is expected that it will be so in the future。”
The uptick in China-Poland trade in agricultural products was attributed to the joint role of the China-Europe freight train during the epidemic prevention and control period。The cold chain transport equipment of the China-Europe train is suitable for the transport of livestock products, fruits and vegetables and dairy products, related to air and sea transport, with freight and time advantages, and has become a highlight of the current guarantee of agricultural trade between China and Central and Eastern Europe。In August this year, the number of China-Europe freight trains and the number of boxes sent reached a new record, increasing by 62% and 66% respectively。
The president of the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce, Poland, said: "In 2019, the total trade volume of agricultural products between China and 17 countries in Central and Eastern Europe exceeded $1.4 billion, and this data is very important to us。Under the impact of the epidemic, agriculture and animal husbandry, whose industrial chain is relatively fragile, have been hit hard, and the Chinese market has become more important。We should make full use of the advantages of China-Europe freight trains and actively explore new ways of cooperation in agricultural trade between CEE countries and China。”
"Cloud" force "group" to enter the market
On September 17, 2020 China - Central and Eastern European countries Characteristic Agricultural Products on the Cloud Expo opened in Weifang, Shandong province, nearly 100 central and Eastern European enterprises settled in the online exhibition hall, more than 10 countries in China to participate in live promotion, more than 6.5 million visitors "cloud" exhibition。
2020 is the Year of China-CEEC Agricultural Diversification Cooperation。Affected by the epidemic, some agricultural cooperation projects have been postponed and some exhibitions have had to be canceled, but online trade cooperation has continued to heat up, effectively promoting bilateral trade。In the first half of this year, the trade volume of agricultural products between China and CEE countries reached 7%.$300 million, an increase of 8.2%。
According to Bulgarian media reports, the country's wine industry is facing difficulties due to the impact of the epidemic, and wine consumption and exports have decreased。The good news is that over the past three months, the wine online trade has taken a turn for the better, with many wine online shops emerging, especially from China。
The development of online trade of agricultural products between China and Central and Eastern European countries is inseparable from the construction of a series of platforms in recent years。2018年11月，The "16+1" e-commerce logistics center and exhibition hall for agricultural products and other products in Central and Eastern Europe was officially launched at Yantian Port in Shenzhen，Cross-border agricultural special products trade through B2B;February 2019，The first China-CEEC e-commerce exhibition center was inaugurated in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city.In April 2019，Jingdong supermarket "Hungary Country Pavilion" opened online，Attract many fans to come shopping...
The China-Central and Eastern European Countries Investment and Trade Expo held in Ningbo every June has embarked on the "cloud" this year, and through a series of activities such as trade matchmaking and live delivery of goods, central and Eastern European enterprises can still expand the Chinese market。mid-June，Video information exchange and negotiation conference for the resumption of work and production of smes from China and Central and Eastern European countries was held，157 Chinese enterprises and 135 smes and government agencies from Central and Eastern European countries have conducted online exchanges，To discuss cooperation on resuming work and production in the post-epidemic era，Nearly 70 collaboration agreements or contracts were signed，It covers industrial manufacturing, trade and investment, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and medical and health care。
Vasil Gelieff, President of the Bulgarian Association for the Promotion of Separation of Agricultural Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries，An e-commerce platform set up by the government brings together food and agricultural associations，"Laying a shortcut for relatively dispersed farmers in Central and Eastern Europe to enter the Chinese market and build brands through e-commerce"，"There is great potential for agricultural cooperation between China and CEE countries，It is highly complementary。Central and Eastern European countries implement EU standards in food and other areas, but the price is relatively low. We firmly believe that "made in Central and Eastern Europe" has a promising future in the Chinese market。”
Agricultural technology cooperation for common progress
In recent years, China and CEE countries have also made great progress in agricultural exchanges, investment and scientific research cooperation。The first China-CEEC Agricultural Cooperation Demonstration Zone has been established in Bulgaria, focusing on cooperation in agricultural research, agricultural machinery, planting, breeding and processing of the whole industrial chain.The first Sino-Romanian Agricultural Science and Technology Park was put into operation in Romania, including a smart LED plant factory and a light and simplified energy-saving solar greenhouse...
"Agricultural cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe is mutually beneficial and mutually complementary。Central and Eastern Europe has a long-standing agricultural tradition, both in terms of fine management and agricultural technology。Poland's fruit processing technology, Romania's vegetable science and technology, Hungary's animal husbandry level, etc., have long been in the forefront of the EU, agricultural technology cooperation will jointly improve our agricultural comprehensive consumption capabilities。"Said Griff。
In the Key Laboratory of Jujube Isolation at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, Romania, there is a jujube tree from Shaanxi, China。Since taking root here in 1996, Romanian agricultural experts have grafted on this date tree and cultivated more than a dozen new varieties。Said Florin Stanica, vice president of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, which brought the date tree to Romania，Agricultural cooperation has from time to time been a witness to the friendship between China and Romania，"The future is in the consumption of agricultural products in Central and Eastern Europe，Chinese capital and markets will play an increasingly important role，There is no doubt about that."。
Source: People's Daily