Cangzhou has successfully developed eight specialized agricultural product processing clusters, each with an annual output value exceeding 10 billion yuan.
At the sterile workshop of Chundong Food Co., Ltd. in Qingxian Economic Development Zone, white chocolate-coated cakes are continuously rolling off the production line on July 6th. "Previously, the bagged cake market was dominated by dark chocolate-coated varieties. To adapt to new consumption trends and achieve differentiated competition, we innovatively developed this white chocolate-coated cake. It has a richer milky flavor and a more complex taste profile, making it very popular among young consumers," said Chen Hongjie, the company's chairman.
Today, Chundong Food produces nearly one billion white chocolate-coated cakes annually, holding a 30% share of the domestic market. Led by this industry frontrunner, a group of high-end food enterprises have established themselves in Qingxian, forming a high-end food processing industrial cluster with an annual output surpassing 10 billion yuan.
While Cangzhou boasts a rich variety of agricultural products, its industrial chain extension and processing conversion capabilities have historically been insufficient. To further enhance the added value of its agricultural products, the city has consistently prioritized deep processing as a key driver for advancing agricultural industrialization, focusing on building distinctive and comprehensive agricultural product processing industrial clusters. To date, eight such clusters with annual output exceeding 10 billion yuan have been cultivated, including the Cangzhou Dryland Alkali Wheat Processing Cluster, the Qingxian High-End Food Processing Cluster, and the Xianxian Meat Duck Cluster.
How were these eight major clusters fostered? "The key is transforming quality resources into a robust industry," said Wang Zengqi, Director of the Market and Information Division at the Cangzhou Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau. The city has focused on nurturing leading enterprises, empowering through technology, and building brands, exploring a new approach to promote agricultural industrialization.
Agriculture without processing is an incomplete endeavor. To extend the agricultural product processing industrial chain, Cangzhou has leveraged the pulling power of leading enterprises like Chundong Food, vigorously developing intensive processing of agricultural products and promoting the comprehensive upgrading of the entire agricultural industry chain. Through these efforts, the number of municipal-level and above agricultural industrialization leading enterprises in the city has exceeded 452, including 10 at the national level and 95 at the provincial level.
The development of deep agricultural processing is inseparable from technological empowerment. In recent years, leveraging scientific research platforms such as the Dryland Alkali Wheat Characteristic Industry Innovation Base under the National Saline-Alkali Land Comprehensive Utilization Technology Innovation Center, Cangzhou has established a full-chain technical system encompassing "breeding—cultivation—promotion—processing." This has led to the development of a series of deep-processed products including high-fiber meal replacement powder, crispy noodles, and soda crackers.
The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Agricultural Product Processing and Nutritional Health (Cangzhou) is a representative research institution within the Cangzhou Dryland Alkali Wheat Processing Cluster. Inside the institute's laboratory, fermentation tanks for dryland alkali wheat craft beer operate in an orderly fashion in the pilot workshop. Having been established in Cangzhou for three years, the institute has already built six R&D platforms, including the Dryland Alkali Wheat Processing and Product Innovation R&D Center.
"The functional component content, such as alkaloids and flavonoids, in dryland alkali wheat is more than double that of ordinary wheat," said Liu Zhenzhen, head of the institute. Leveraging their R&D platforms, they have developed over 20 deep-processed products, including dryland alkali wheat craft beer and sprouted tea. Notably, the craft beer is the first to use dryland alkali wheat as the main ingredient, establishing a unique fermentation technology system.
A strong brand serves as a key to the market and a vital engine for agricultural industry development. Cangzhou has now cultivated 7 National Geographical Indication Protected Products, 20 characteristic agricultural product brands, and 14 provincial-level regional public brands.
The Cangxian Jujube Processing Cluster has gathered over 200 related enterprises, owning several provincial-level famous brand products like "Peiran," and has become a production base for well-known snack food companies such as Bestore and Three Squirrels. The Mengcun Broiler Chicken Cluster has created the "Mengcun Fresh Chicken" regional public brand, establishing strategic partnerships with multiple catering brands, and its products have entered markets in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. The Xianxian Meat Duck Cluster is focusing on building a national franchise chain system for "Leshou Yufang" roast duck, enhancing brand image and service experience. Currently, the local leading enterprise, Leshou Duck Industry, produces 25 million duck carcasses annually, with its roast duck carcass output accounting for 12% of the national market share.
"We will continue to focus on strengthening leading enterprises, extending industrial chains, and building brands, striving to build a full industrial chain for characteristic agriculture. This will promote the upgrading of rural characteristic industries from mere existence to excellence, achieving increased industrial efficiency and farmers' income growth," Wang Zengqi said.
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