Hebei boosts food supplies to help Beijing

Some cities in Hebei province have taken steps to increase supplies of agricultural products to Beijing, after the capital reported locally transmitted COVID-19 cases related to a wholesale market.

Hebei Xinfadi, an agricultural products wholesale market in Gaobeidian, Baoding, has set up a fund of 50 million yuan ($7 million) for organizing and allocating agricultural products in urgent need in Beijing, according to a notice released on Sunday by Hebei Xinfadi Agricultural Products Co.

The notice appealed to sellers and buyers to cooperate to ensure that Beijing receives sufficient agricultural supplies.

"Products that are on the way and originally planned to be sent to Beijing can be transferred to Hebei Xinfadi," the notice said.

Xinfadi market in Beijing is one of the shareholders of Hebei Xinfadi, about 70 kilometers southwest of Beijing. But the two markets each have their own suppliers.

Dingzhou in Baoding has 60 refrigeration houses and can provide about 30,000 metric tons of agricultural products — vegetables, eggs and meat — to Beijing every day, local official He Ying'en was quoted as saying by Beijing Daily. 

According to He, only four hours are required to transport agricultural products from Dingzhou, about 180 kilometers southwest of Beijing, to supermarkets in the capital. 

"We have storage space for fresh vegetables and can provide sufficient products to Beijing for at least a month," He said.

Huarui cooperative in Yutian, Tangshan, has been able to supply more than 20 metric tons of agricultural products, mainly potatoes and cabbage, to Beijing daily. In cooperation with 200 growers, the cooperative has increased that to about 40 tons.