Zhanjiang launches two special agricultural markets showcasing provincial staples

Zhanjiang representatives introduce speciality produce at the main event of Guangdong's 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival. CHINA DAILY

The main event of Guangdong province's celebration for the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival unfolded in Zhanjiang on Wednesday, themed "Harvest ushers in a new chapter; solid endeavors fuel rural vitalization".

For Zhanjiang, one of the province's agricultural powerhouses, the festival serves not only as a celebration of bumper yields but as a progress report on its delivery of the high-quality development project for Guangdong counties, towns and villages, which aims to bridge urban-rural development gaps.

Playing host to the provincial gala, Zhanjiang launched two special agricultural markets showcasing local staples, including Xuwen pineapples, sweet potatoes and golden pompano fish, alongside premium farm goods sourced across Guangdong.

On-site tasting zones and business negotiation booths allowed attendees to sample authentic delicacies from southern China and explore commercial opportunities all under one roof.

Zhanjiang is a mainstay of Guangdong's agricultural sector. In 2025, the city's combined output value for farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries reached 116.93 billion yuan ($17.46 billion), marking its fifth consecutive year above the 100-billion-yuan threshold.

During the first half of this year, Guangdong's output value for farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries grew by 4.2 percent year-on-year to 419.88 billion yuan and the per capita disposable income of rural residents in the province amounted to 15,493 yuan, up 5.9 percent year-on-year.

Zhanjiang tops Guangdong in both grain planting area and total grain output, while its aquatic production has led the province for 30 years. Each of seven industrial clusters — tropical fruit, pineapples, sweet potatoes, simiao rice, medicinal herbs, poultry and prepared dishes — aims for an output value exceeding 10 billion yuan.

Zhanjiang strives to safeguard its land-based resources while strengthening its maritime resources, creating harmony and abundance both on land and at sea, said Wu Guoxiong, vice-mayor of Zhanjiang.

Thriving resource

The harvest festival also witnessed Guangdong's 2026 aquatic organism enhancement and release activity, held in Potou district, Zhanjiang. Statistics show that since 2024, Zhanjiang has released over 50 million fish fry, 340 million shrimp juveniles, 170 million shellfish and snails, and 380,000 Chinese horseshoe crabs. The city ranks among the top in Guangdong in both the scale and diversity of released species.

The ocean represents Zhanjiang's greatest competitive edge. Home to Guangdong's longest coastline, the city boasts 21,000 square kilometers of sea, 1,910 hours of annual sunshine and an average temperature of 23.4 C — near-ideal conditions for year-round open-sea aquaculture.

Zhanjiang Bay No 1, the world's first dynamically positioned floating aquaculture platform, was delivered and put into production in late 2025.

Today, the city runs 3,650 deep-water farming cages made of high-density polyethylene. Its annual shrimp output exceeds 250,000 metric tons, and oyster cultivation stretches across more than 100,000 mu (about 6,667 hectares).

About 60 percent of China's farmed shrimp and 30 percent of its golden pompano come from Zhanjiang, which ranks third in the province for overall marine economy competitiveness.

From produce to brands

Moving beyond selling unprocessed farm goods, Zhanjiang is pushing for higher-value agricultural development. Its regional public brand "Zhanpin" has certified 202 products, gaining growing market recognition.

Xuwen pineapple, a signature tropical-subtropical crop, exemplifies this industrial upgrade. Its full-chain output value jumped from 980 million yuan in 2018 to 5.4 billion yuan in 2025, lifting incomes of 150,000 local growers.

Across the city, 77 items have made the national list of famous, distinctive, high-quality and new farm products, and 19 hold national distinctive-quality agricultural product accreditation — both among the highest counts in Guangdong.

These tangible achievements stem from the high-quality development project for Guangdong counties, towns and villages. Implemented more than three years ago, the initiative prioritizes four pillars: food security, industrial growth, rural upgrading and reform-driven empowerment.

Zhanjiang has built 51 model towns and 452 model villages at the provincial level, and narrowed its urban-rural income ratio to 1.59:1.

Ultimately, the success of the project is measured by household earnings. Zhanjiang posted a 6.8 percent year-on-year GDP expansion in the first quarter of 2026, the highest growth rate across Guangdong.

Driving growth

Such gains stem from two mutually reinforcing growth drivers. On Donghai Island, projects including Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel, Zhongke (Guangdong) Refinery and Petrochemical, and the BASF Verbund site have formed one of China's few world-class port-based heavy-chemical industry clusters.

If large-scale heavy industry forms the backbone of Zhanjiang's economy, specialized rural-focused industries provide its dynamism. The city has established 26 modern agricultural industrial parks at or above provincial level, together with six national-level agricultural towns, five industry clusters with a value of over 10 billion yuan each, and five more worth over 5 billion yuan apiece.

Robust industries have also boosted tourism.

In 2025, the city welcomed 26.21 million tourist visits, generating revenue of more than 30.9 billion yuan. Agritourism has emerged as a fresh income stream for rural residents: 241 agritourism operators in the city recorded annual revenues of around 668 million yuan in 2025.

As the initiative advances toward its five-year transformation goals, Zhanjiang is seeking greater financial backing to realize its development vision.

Speaking at an industry-finance matchmaking conference in Guangzhou in August, Mo Zhigui, director of the Zhanjiang agriculture and rural affairs bureau, said the city welcomes financial institutions to help write its next chapter of growth.

Priorities include strengthening credit support to upgrade local specialties in quality, branding and market appeal; improving agricultural risk-insurance coverage; and easing financing burdens for related small and micro agriculture enterprises.