Welfare fresh produce markets satisfy both farmers and public

A local welfare fresh produce market in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province. The market has been designed to stabilize the sales of impoverished farmers' products, and also to offer cheaper quality produce to citizens. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

When people enter a welfare fresh produce supermarket in Guiyang, they will immediately be attracted by the low prices of the fresh fruit and vegetables. Markets of this kind are usually subsidized by the government, and the agricultural products they offer are often cheaper than normal markets by 10 to 30 percent.

Creating such markets is a welfare project, to ensure residents in poorer areas can eat fresh food at lower prices, said Huang Dong, manager of a welfare fresh produce supermarket. 

Guiyang government has supported Guiyang Huimin Minsheng Agricultural and Sideline Products Co to cooperate with 24 leading supermarket operators and establish 154 welfare fresh produce supermarkets that cover a total area of 240,000 square meters and benefit about 4 million people. 

Since 2015, governments of Guiyang and Guigang's districts have cumulatively distributed funds of 557 million yuan ($83.55 million yuan) to subsidize the rent of these supermarkets, and have saved 967 million yuan for local citizens. 

Li Dexiang, president of Guizhou Heli Supermarket Group Co, which is also engaged in building such welfare fresh produce supermarkets, said Heli Supermarket will work hard to safeguard citizen's food safety, and ensure everyone in the city can afford healthy, safe and cheap food. 

"This year, we will further strengthen the logistics system to raise the circulation rate, by setting up a commercial dealing center, arranging cold-chain trucks, and increasing the commercialization rate of agricultural products. We will try to minimize circulation links, and enable customers to eat farm produce directly from the fields," said Huang Deze, vice general manager of Guiyang Agricultural Investment Development Group Co.