Dongxihu district boosts innovation through food
Traditional pillar industry lifted by city’s key zone
Dongxihu district of Wuhan, Hubei province, is boosting innovation-driven growth by guiding food companies to increase investment in research and development as well as introducing talent, local officials said. The goal is to realize digital, intelligent, and green transformation.
The food sector is the traditional pillar industry in the district. Since the 1990s, it has formed the largest food business cluster in Central China, with an output value exceeding 100 billion yuan ($15.45 billion).
In 2005, Dongxihu district began to plan and construct its core park for the development of the food industry — the Wuhan Food Industry Processing Zone.
The park is adjacent to the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway in the east, the Wuhan-Chongqing Railway and the Hanjiang River, the first tributary of the Yangtze River, in the west, and the outer ring of Wuhan and the Lanhang expressway in the north. Zhujiatai Station is only 2 kilometers away, making the district’s location and transportation advantages significant.
The park has concentrated on the construction of public infrastructure such as sewage treatment plants, natural gas pipelines, roads and rain and sewage pipe networks. It has also attracted foreign investment and promoted the scattered food and pharmaceutical enterprises in the zone to develop in the park.
The park is home to more than 60 well-known food brands in China and abroad as well as some 100 specialty processing companies, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi Foods, Zhouheiya and Liangpin Shop. It has formed a food processing industry cluster that includes snacks, beverages and meat products.
In 2020, the park reached a total industrial output value of 18.5 billion yuan and tax revenue of 1.5 billion yuan. In 2016, the park was awarded the title of Wuhan Trademark Brand Cluster Demonstration Park by the Wuhan administration for industry and commerce.
In 2017, it was designated as a “Snack Food Industry Cluster Regional Brand Building Pilot Unit” by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
China is promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements in the food sector as well as in production and manufacturing.
As a key area of the national food industry, Dongxihu district encourages enterprises to cooperate with universities to establish R&D institutions and create innovation platforms.
It has established a national-level R&D center, three provincial-level R&D centers, and an urban-level R&D center, featuring a group of scientific research results applied on the production line.
At the same time, through its support policies for the intelligent transformation of food enterprises, the district provides free consultation and diagnosis services for relevant enterprises and guides a number of food processing enterprises to build workshops and intelligent production lines.
New technologies such as big data, the internet of things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and 5G are widely used in the region’s food companies to empower the real economy.
With the continuous improvement in national income and living standards, China’s food consumption structure is undergoing fundamental changes. People’s diet needs have gradually shifted from being “satisfied” to “well-nourished”.
In response to this trend, Dongxihu district has attracted a number of food projects such as Wallace Fast Food and Carabine Bear Baking through investment promotion and production expansion.
It has supported the further expansion of local snack food companies such as Zhouheiya and Liangpin Shop via production expansion, diversification in product categories, and improvement of product quality. The product structure of the food industry is further concentrated in fast-moving food, snack food and healthy food.
The district also increases the supply of land, capital and infrastructure while paying close attention to food safety and building a diversified, symbiotic, and safe health industry chain ecosystem.
After years of development, the Dongxihu district has formed a “one core, multiple poles” food and pharmaceutical industry pattern.
The district has initiated the construction of a demonstration project for the food industry processing smart park.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the district will intensify the extension of the food industry chain, foster the development of food supporting enterprises such as printing and packaging, tinprinting cans and e-commerce logistics, and continue to strengthen the characteristic food industry chain. The district always regards food safety as the “lifeline” and “high-voltage line” and will build a diversified, symbiotic, safe and healthy food industry chain ecosystem to consolidate and add momentum to the high-quality economic development of the entire region.