In the first half of the year, Qingdao's agricultural exports reached 26.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.4%, outpacing the provincial average by 5.8 percentage points and the national average by 4 percentage points.
Specialty products form the cornerstone of Qingdao's export strength. Jiaozhou dried chilies and their processed products account for over 80% of China's total exports, supported by more than 300 processing enterprises with an annual transaction volume of 1.2 million tons and a value exceeding 16 billion yuan. As China's largest kimchi production and export base, Qingdao ships over 200,000 tons of kimchi to South Korea annually, worth more than 1 billion yuan, representing roughly 70% of China's total kimchi exports to South Korea. In the broiler chicken sector, Jiulian Group's exports account for 60% of China's total to the European Union, ranking first nationwide for 16 consecutive years. Kangda Group's rabbit meat exports make up over 70% of China's total, reaching more than 30 countries and regions.
Expanding into New Overseas Markets
Southeast Asia, Belt and Road Initiative countries, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states are emerging as the "second growth curve" for Qingdao's agricultural exports. The SCO Demonstration Zone serves as a crucial platform. Since its opening in July 2024, the SCO International Green Agricultural Products Expo and Trade Center has facilitated online transactions exceeding 200,000 tons and 3 billion yuan, successfully connecting with 15 Belt and Road countries. Qingdao companies are also accelerating their presence in new markets. Lulin Dehydrated Vegetables is building a white onion planting and processing base in Kazakhstan, Fusheng Food has established overseas warehouses in Russia, and Lulu Agricultural Machinery is expanding its chili agricultural park in Turkey. Over 20 agricultural projects have been launched overseas in recent years.
Key Products Underpin the Export Base
Qingdao has cultivated two trillion-yuan, eight hundred-billion-yuan, and fifteen ten-billion-yuan modern agricultural industry chains, with over 1,100 large-scale agricultural product processing enterprises. Jiaozhou chili exemplifies this success. Despite limited land, Jiaozhou has implemented "enclave chili" and "contract chili" models, extending raw material sourcing to Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and even Pakistan. This creates a global layout with "planting outside, breeding, processing, and trade inside," securing Jiaozhou's pricing power in the global chili processing trade. Currently, Jiaozhou's dried chili and processed products account for over 80% of China's exports, with more than 300 processing enterprises, an annual transaction volume of 1.2 million tons, and a transaction value exceeding 16 billion yuan.
As the largest kimchi production and export base nationwide, Qingdao ships over 200,000 tons to South Korea annually, worth more than 1 billion yuan, accounting for about 70% of China's total kimchi exports to South Korea. Pingdu kimchi alone occupies nearly 60% of the South Korean imported market. This is supported by efficient customs clearance. Qingdao Customs pioneered a "batch inspection" supervision model for exported pickled vegetables, shortening the average inspection cycle by at least five working days, allowing kimchi to reach South Korean tables the day after leaving Pingdu, achieving strict management with swift passage.
Emerging Markets as a Second Growth Driver
Qingdao's agricultural exports cover 173 countries and regions, with traditional markets like Japan, South Korea, and Europe and America still accounting for over 60% of total exports. Notably, in 2025, South Korea replaced Japan as Qingdao's largest agricultural export market. Among exports to South Korea, besides kimchi, chili products are significant. Jiaozhou companies export over 40,000 tons of chili sauce to South Korea annually, along with chili powder and crushed chili, creating diversified export support. In response to external shocks, Qingdao is accelerating the diversification of agricultural export markets, focusing on emerging markets in Southeast Asia, Belt and Road countries, and SCO member states, injecting new momentum into maintaining high growth.
Strengthening the Full Chain for International Competitiveness
Qingdao is enhancing international competitiveness across the entire agricultural chain. In seed breeding, the implementation of the Qingdao Seed Industry Promotion Regulations has led to breakthroughs. For example, Qingyuan Crop Science uses gene editing to create herbicide-resistant rice, and Kangda Group has independently bred new rabbit meat varieties, breaking foreign seed monopolies and gaining more initiative in international standard negotiations. Production is supported by the "Standardization+" strategy, with over 1,000 enterprises passing BRC and other export quality system certifications, and over 500 obtaining international export food inspection and quarantine registrations. Digitalization has advanced production through the "Qingdao Agricultural Cloud Brain" big data platform, enabling digital management of over 1,300 "vegetable basket" production bases with IoT monitoring and smart integrated water and fertilizer systems. Qingdao has also secured provincial agricultural full-chain pilot funds, mobilizing 3.4 billion yuan in social capital, promoting 15 enterprises to build fruit and vegetable deep processing and smart farming facilities, and creating six national-level agricultural industry strong towns. Currently, the city has over 1,100 large-scale agricultural product processing enterprises, with an agricultural science and technology contribution rate of 71.7%.
In export support, Qingdao uses financial tools like "grants-to-investment" seed funds and provincial full-chain efficiency improvement pilot funds to precisely support outward-oriented leading enterprises. It actively organizes enterprises to explore overseas markets, leveraging RCEP and other free trade agreement benefits for legal and training support, guiding enterprises to establish overseas warehouses and build overseas planting and processing bases. This creates a "leading enterprises driving, SMEs coordinating" export formation.
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