AFP reported on June 23, original title: Organic agriculture gains favor in China. Ji Yunliang (phonetic), who earned a doctorate in chemistry from a well-known university in Beijing, now runs a small organic farm on the outskirts of Beijing. Instead of using his professional knowledge, Ji uses traditional methods and outdated manual labor to catch pests and pull weeds on his farm. In this country battered by food safety scandals, interest in organic agricultural products is rapidly increasing.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11246/
“After tasting the sweetness of organic agriculture, I realized this was a turning point in my life,” Ji said while picking pests off vegetable leaves. “In some ways, this is completely opposite to what I studied in chemistry.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11246/
Although prices are five times higher than ordinary agricultural products and the variety available is limited, demand for organic food in China is growing explosively, with consumers paying closer attention to what they eat. Agricultural analyst Huang Dejun (phonetic) said the organic agriculture market is now worth about 5 billion yuan, and demand will grow at an annual rate of 20% to 30% over the next five years. “People are becoming wealthier, and they demand a better, high-quality life.” Shi Yan (phonetic), manager of another organic farm on the outskirts of Beijing, said his farm had only 54 customers when it began operating last year, but so far this year 320 families have signed agreements with him.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11246/
Due to limited supply, organic food will remain a niche product in China, especially because the clean air, water and soil required for organic agriculture are increasingly difficult to find in rapidly industrializing China.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11246/