The 20th China International Agricultural Trade Fair (CATF), co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and Shandong Provincial People’s Government, concluded successfully in Qingdao, Shandong Province, on Nov. 12. The theme of this year’s CATF was “Embark on a new journey—advance agriculture for rural revitalization.” It hosted nearly 3,000 exhibitors showing over 20,000 products. It also offered a matchmaking platform for over 30,000 buyers and industry professionals, and attracted more than 150,000 visitors. The fair effectively connected farmers to the market and facilitated brand building.  

This year's CATF adopted a practical, simple, and safe approach to exhibition management with an emphasis on tangible achievements. It showed remarkable results in three areas: First, it stimulated the involvement of market entities. The fair featured 11 exhibition areas on China State Farm, GI products, agricultural and rural big data and other fields. More than 100 large corporations such as the Beidahuang Group, the Beijing Capital Agribusiness & Food Group, Syngenta, CHN Energy, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, and Inspur participated. Second, it vigorously promoted agricultural brands building. Over 50 matchmaking events connecting farmers to the market as well as brand promotion events were held during the fair. A brand promotion center was established that worked with Farmers’ Daily, the China Agricultural Film and Television Center, crnews.net, JD.com, Douyin, and Kuaishou to organize various public display and promotion activities for over thousands of branded agro-products. Third, it achieved concrete results in attracting foreign participants. The fair hosted 35 companies from 18 countries and regions, and attracted nearly 30 large international buyers. The parties signed procurement contracts for aquatic products, fruits and vegetables, tea and other agro-products with provinces including Guangdong, Guizhou, Shandong, Hubei, and Qinghai.