On May 15, the "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Agricultural Products Sustainable Development Docking Conference and New Farming and Planting Technology Special Training" was successfully held at Yutian Hotel in Tangshan. This event is part of the EU's "Switch Asia" sustainable production and consumption promotion project and was jointly organized by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association (CCFA), China Vegetable Circulation Association, Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development (IAED), Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, and representatives from the Yutian County government who attended and delivered speeches.

Experts from the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences provided training to major vegetable operators in the county on advanced technologies such as high-quality and high-yield cultivation of spring cabbage and base management.

Zhou Hui, an associate researcher at IAED, conducted training on food safety management of cooperative agricultural production bases, covering four areas: policy review and market conditions, base management and key control points for product quality and safety, employee occupational safety and sustainable development, and retailer procurement standards and requirements. After the training, representatives from CCFA and experts from IAED awarded the "second-level Trainer" certificate for the sustainable development project of agricultural product circulation to the representatives of 24 cooperatives who participated in the training. Some of the cooperatives include Xiaoqiang Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Huarui Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Zehui Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Tangshan Shengchuan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd., Jiqiang Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Black Elvis Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Huayu Cabbage Production and Marketing Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Tangshan Aigelai Food Co., Ltd., Tongxin Farmers' Professional Cooperative, Chengze Farmers' Professional Cooperative, and more.

Simultaneously, a procurement representative and cooperative production and sales coordination conference took place. Procurement representatives from 17 large chain supermarkets, agricultural product wholesale markets, and agricultural product e-commerce platforms, including Beijing Chaoshifa Chain Co., Ltd., Dingdong Maicai, Meituan Youxuan, and Hema China Co., Ltd., engaged in negotiations with 24 vegetable cooperatives and other industrial entities in the county regarding vegetable procurement needs. This matchmaking meeting, conducted through production and sales matchmaking and origin research, has opened new channels for the county's "Yutian Supplying Beijing Vegetables" to enter the "vegetable basket" of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei citizens, thereby enhancing the brand influence of the agricultural products.

Yutian is a large vegetable planting county with a wide variety of vegetables, including 35 types and over 180 varieties. It ranks first in the province with an annual sowing area of over 400,000 mu and an output of 2.14 million tons. It serves as an important supply base for the vegetable market in North China and Northeast China and has been awarded titles such as National Advanced County of Vegetable Basket Product Production, Township of Chinese Cabbage, Leading County of Chinese Vegetable Industry, Key County of Chinese High-Quality Vegetable Base, and National Agricultural Product Quality and Safety County. In recent years, Yutian County has seized the opportunities for coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and took the lead in establishing the country's first regional public brand of "Vegetables for Beijing," including key products such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and potatoes. They have also formulated planting management standards for "Vegetables for Beijing" that surpass industry standards.

The county pays close attention to the market demand, strengthens the docking of production and marketing, strengthens the strategic cooperation with the large commercial supermarket and the wholesale market of agricultural products in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, and has established long-term supply relations with Carrefour, CAPITAL AIRLINES, and Xinfadi. In 2022, the scale of Yutian vegetable production base for Beijing reached 50,000 mu, and the market for Beijing reached 900,000 tons, an increase of 14.3%, and the product premium increased by 20%. This year, the county plans to expand the vegetable planting base for Beijing to 100,000 mu.

In the future, the CCFA, IAED and IVL will continue to provide public welfare training courses for farmers' professional cooperatives and farmers. At the same time, more public welfare training will be supported, and training certificates recognized by relevant international institutions will be issued to the relevant personnel involved in the training. The move aims to increase the productivity and returns of farmers' specialized cooperatives and farm households and create more opportunities for their future employment. The success of the program will further promote the development of the agricultural industry and attract more people to participate in agricultural production.