In recent years, cold chain logistics has emerged as a vital tool for enhancing agricultural product circulation and increasing farmers' incomes. The construction of cold chain logistics bases in Zigong City has opened new development pathways for agricultural markets in Sichuan Province, particularly in southern Sichuan regions.
As the only city in Sichuan selected for the national backbone cold chain logistics base program, Zigong's strategic position has not only boosted its competitiveness in national agricultural markets but also delivered tangible benefits to local farmers.
Capitalizing on these advantages, farmers have actively adjusted planting structures and explored innovative business models. At the Sunshine Rain Family Farm in Rongbian Town, Ziliujing District, farm operators prepared for their annual late-ripening grape harvest season, planning to transport 75,000 kilograms of grapes to distant Guangdong markets within two weeks. Before harvesting, procurement specialists provided detailed quality specifications, significantly improving sales success rates and economic returns. This approach has enabled farmers to achieve substantial income growth while contributing to local agricultural brand development.
Seven years ago, grape grower Yuan Daibin faced dramatically different circumstances. Without cold chain logistics support, grapes grown in high-temperature environments had extremely short preservation periods during transportation, resulting in significant fresh fruit losses. These losses not only reduced farmers' incomes but also constrained the development of Zigong's fruit and vegetable industry. As Yuan recalled, the bleak economic returns left countless growers feeling helpless.
The situation began transforming through local government initiatives and infrastructure improvements. Major enterprises invested in cold chain logistics bases in Zigong, gradually solving agricultural product storage and distribution challenges while raising awareness about cold chain logistics among farmers. With improved transportation efficiency, growers increasingly recognized its importance. Today, Zigong has developed diversified fruit industries including citrus, grapes, and plums, expanding planting varieties and enhancing market competitiveness.
While Zigong's cold chain circulation rate for fruits and vegetables stood at just 7% in 2019, the rise of cold chain logistics promises rapid improvement. Data shows inadequate cold chain circulation previously caused nearly 1 billion yuan in economic losses annually. Although cold chain logistics involves slightly higher comprehensive costs, it delivers greater actual income for farmers through significantly reduced fresh fruit losses and shorter transit times. Traditional logistics from Zigong to Guangzhou previously required three days, while modern cold chain systems can deliver fresh produce within 40 hours. This new model enables direct farm-to-consumer distribution of ripe fruits with losses potentially controlled below 5%.
Zigong's strategy focuses not only on attracting and nurturing cold chain logistics enterprises but also reducing reliance on traditional logistics models to improve agricultural product storage and distribution conditions. Throughout this transformation, farmers' living standards have gradually improved while agricultural product values have been redefined. Cold chain logistics development serves as a crucial method for ensuring safe and efficient distribution of fresh agricultural products beyond Sichuan, enhancing Zigong's overall competitiveness while generating substantial economic benefits.
Looking ahead, Zigong aims to establish itself as southwest China's cold chain logistics hub and agricultural product trading center by 2022 through policy improvements, investment facilitation, and industry standardization. The city targets annual trading volumes exceeding 3 million tons with transaction values reaching 22 billion yuan. These efforts ultimately aim to provide robust support for local economic growth and farmer income increases.
Beyond cold chain logistics, information technology applications play an equally critical role in agricultural product circulation. Through big data analytics, e-commerce, and other modern technologies, Zigong can better understand market demands and consumption trends. This enables farmers to make more informed production and sales decisions, improving targeting while reducing unnecessary resource waste. Farmers are no longer isolated individuals but active participants in industrialized, information-driven modern agriculture.
The cold chain logistics infrastructure not only connects Zigong's agricultural products with markets and consumers but also safeguards farmers' prosperity. As policies continue implementation and infrastructure further improves, cold chain logistics will play an increasingly important role in enhancing agricultural product value and improving farmers' living conditions. Zigong's cold chain logistics base construction brings hope and expectation to all farmers pursuing better lives while serving as a key engine for rural revitalization and high-quality economic development. On this new journey, Zigong will undoubtedly paint an even brighter future filled with harvest promises.
