Focus on revival sparks change

Authorities in Ningbo city aided rural revitalization this year by supporting the export of agricultural products, local media reported.

The Party secretary of Gaoni village in Xiangshan county called the city's customs service in March in the hope they could help the village export live sea fish. Xiangshan is a large county in terms of aquaculture, but this year several kinds of fish did not sell well. The sales price fell which caused large economic losses for local farmers.

After Ningbo Customs learned about this, customs officials went to the village and told villagers about international markets of such fish and the related requirements for exporting the fish. They also guided farmers to found a cooperative, standardize fodder management and take strict prevention and control measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Customs then helped the cooperative to meet standards of imported countries and contacted the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine to test their products. The farming cooperative is expected to export about 600 metric tons of fish annually, worth 24 million yuan ($3.66 million).

Statistics showed live marine fish exported from Ningbo Port was worth nearly 100 million yuan annually.

The exports of weever fish from the city accounted for more than half of South Korea's imported weever. The export has enriched nearly 2,000 people and could bring each farming household a net income worth at least 60,000 yuan annually.

Bamboo, wood and grass products topped agricultural goods exported from Ningbo. They have also helped more than 90,000 people find jobs. Ningbo Customs has helped to improve the management of 291 companies that export such products.