Published by ChinaMNC · Dingxi
Gansu's Dingxi City Pushes Green Livestock Hub: What Foreign Founders Need to Know
Dingxi's acting mayor outlines plans for a national green grass-livestock production base, emphasizing industry upgrading, brand building, and supply chain development. Foreign founders can learn about local government priorities for agriculture and food processing.
Dingxi's Push for a Green Livestock Hub
On October 27, 2026, Dingxi City's Deputy Party Secretary and Acting Mayor Li Shengqian conducted an on-site inspection in Anding District to review the construction and operation of a modern cold-arid smart beef cattle breeding base and a beef and mutton slaughtering and processing production line. The visit was part of efforts to supervise the handling of a proposal from the Sixth Session of the Fifth Municipal People's Congress regarding the acceleration of building a national green grass-livestock product production base. A symposium was also held to gather feedback from people's congress representatives on the proposal's implementation.
For foreign founders considering China's agricultural and food processing sectors, Dingxi's initiatives offer a window into local government priorities and potential opportunities in a region with unique natural endowments.
Why Livestock Matters to Dingxi
Li Shengqian emphasized that animal husbandry is a foundational industry for Dingxi, linking ecological restoration with income growth for local residents. It serves as the core support for building a national green grass-livestock production base. The city aims to leverage its advantages—cold-arid climate, high-quality forage, authentic Chinese medicinal herbs, and a strong grassroots breeding tradition—to overcome challenges such as low conversion efficiency, short processing chains, low standardization, and weak brand influence. The goal is to transform resource advantages into product, brand, and economic advantages.
Key Strategies for Industry Development
Li outlined several strategic directions for the sector:
- Stabilizing forage production: Maintain scale of high-quality forage planting, advance grain-to-feed conversion, and strengthen storage and processing. Promote specialty forage brands like cat's tail grass and alfalfa, and spread improved breeding techniques. Establish benefit-sharing mechanisms such as contract purchasing, land transfer, employment, and collective economic dividends so that local residents share in the industry's gains.
- Integrating medicinal herbs with feed: Promote a model combining authentic medicinal materials, functional feed, and high-quality livestock products. Expand trials of feeding astragalus and codonopsis to cattle and sheep. Enhance brand recognition for "Dingxi Astragalus Beef and Mutton" and "Dingxi Codonopsis Beef and Mutton." Following a roadmap of "laying the foundation in one year, setting standards in two years, and achieving results in three years," accelerate the release of group production standards and improve a "one product, one code" quality traceability system to boost market competitiveness.
- Upgrading deep processing: Address shortcomings in intensive processing by supporting projects that extend the value chain—such as deep processing of meat products, comprehensive utilization of by-products, and bio-fermented feed. Improve cold chain storage, centralized slaughtering, and direct distribution systems. Shift from selling live animals to selling products and brands.
- Balancing development with safety: Coordinate industry growth with green and safety considerations. Firmly uphold bottom lines in disease control, environmental protection, product quality and safety, and production safety. Promote green upgrading and sustainable development across the entire grass-livestock chain.
Turning Proposals into Results
Li stressed that handling people's congress proposals should translate public demands into tangible development outcomes. He called for improving the closed-loop mechanism for assigning, handling, supervising, and evaluating proposals,压实 responsibilities at all levels, and ensuring factor guarantees and follow-up performance tracking. The aim is to move from procedural completion to substantive results. He also encouraged representatives to conduct frontline research, gather public opinion, and offer constructive suggestions to contribute to Dingxi's modernization.
Implications for Foreign Founders
Foreign founders exploring China's agricultural sector can observe Dingxi's focus on branding, standardization, and traceability—areas where foreign expertise in quality management and technology might align. The city's emphasis on deep processing and cold chain logistics could also open doors for partnerships in food processing and distribution. However, as with any investment, it's crucial to understand local regulations and market dynamics. Dingxi's push for a green livestock base reflects broader trends in China's agricultural modernization, potentially creating niche opportunities for foreign businesses.
This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.
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