Friday May 10th
US Consulate - Agriculture Trade Office Briefing
The day started again with breakfast at the hotel that consisted of
both some Chinese dishes and typical American breakfast choices. A twenty
minute trip to the US Consulate for an American Trade Organization briefing was
the first event of the day. Mr. Jose Sanchez was our speaker and he is a USDA
Foreign Trade Officer. He spoke about the beginning of trade with China
starting way back in 1978. His speech about the Guangdong province was entertaining
as it is the most populous province with the highest GDP of the country. He
also spoke about how southeast China is the trading hub of the country as most
barges come through the Hong Kong and make its way into the mainland China
area. Southeast China is the primary import area because of the vast roads,
river, and railways system. Additionally, manufacturing is very important
because of the import of raw materials in the area. Jose Sanchez continually
stressed the importance of the up and coming global economy and how all
countries literally depend on each other. An example is the success story of
the dependence on the US for soybeans to feed not only livestock, but for the
oil that can be extracted and used in the daily diets of humans. Food safety is
a primary concern, and the trust is low in the companies from China because
there are so many and they seem to be able to cut numerous corners to avoid
government regulations and penalties. We ended the event with a question and answer
session that lasted roughly an hour and a half and consisted of all kinds of
educated agriculture questions about the present and the future subjects of all
of our majors.
Visit to the Fish Market
The
fish market was a unique experience. Imagine a vast market consisting of many
alleys with booths on either side filled with tanks full of fish, lobster,
crab, shrimp, eel, squid, and even crocodile. The market consisted of almost
every fish and seafood product possible. Over 500 metric tons and $1.6 million
U.S. dollars are turned through the market daily. The venders contribute to the
needs of both wholesale and retail markets. A unique thing about the retail
part of the market is that families are able to purchase fresh products and
bring them upstairs to restaurants where they will prepare them for the
families. The market takes pride in being the largest fresh fish market in Southeast
China.
Visit to Fruit and Vegetable Market
The fruit and vegetable market is also the largest of this type of
market in Southeast China. It was
similar to the fish market by how it was setup.
The vendors were all next to each other with stacks upon stacks of boxed
fruit and vegetables. However, it was
much larger because they had more product to sell. Annually, they turn over 11 billion lbs. and
about $3.3 billion US dollars. Daily,
they turn over about 28 million lbs.
They don't keep tract of a daily dollar amount. It has several sections based on where the
fruits and vegetables are imported from.
There was foreign, domestic, and Southeast Asia sections. The imports all come to this market and are
shipped out by trucks to other providences.
Each province divides the product up and sends it to different towns in
the providence. It truly is amazing how many people this market employs.
The
rest of the day was free to enjoy the beautiful city of Guangzhou. The pool was
a necessity after the hot, humid day spent touring the markets.
USDA
Fruit and vegetable market
Fish market
Cabbage
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