A farmer drives a farming machinery to harvest rice at a family farm in Jiutai District of Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 20, 2022. Autumn harvest has recently started at the rice-growing areas across the province. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Speaking at a branch forum of the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) on Thursday, industry leaders and experts addressed the imperative of securing sustainable development in agriculture and food safety while tapping into China's market potential.

Amid rapid international changes, the heightened risks to global agricultural production and food security underscore the pressing need for nations to bolster agricultural cooperation. Collaboratively safeguarding food security has become increasingly important, experts said.

The CISCE, the nation's first expo of its kind, is being held in Beijing from Tuesday to Saturday. 

Yu Jianlong, a vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), organizer of the expo, said that in today's complex and challenging international landscape, the shift toward green and low-carbon initiatives has become the trend of the times.

Developing green agriculture is an essential requirement to promote high-quality agricultural development and drive sustainable growth, Yu said.

The CCPIT has designated an agricultural chain exhibition area that offers a product and service chain ranging from the farm to the dining table.

The agricultural area has drawn the participation of many world-leading companies, including Fortune Global 500 enterprises such as China's biggest food trader COFCO and Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group).

Xue Zengyi, a vice chairman of the Chinese division of CP Group's agro-industry and food business, shared how the company has cultivated the green and sustainable development of its agricultural businesses in China through automated production.

In Beijing's Pinggu district, the company has built a new modern industry chain for 3 million laying hens, with an investment of 750 million yuan ($105.73 million), as part of an effort to strengthen cooperation with China, its major market.

The breeding project has been turned into a green, circular and sustainable effort that promotes the economic development and agricultural modernization of this area of Beijing, Xue said.

The successful model of this project has been extended to other regions in China.

Several coffee producers based in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul aim to tap into the Chinese agriculture market. Company representatives told the Global Times at the CISCE that they have set up sustainable production bases in China that process raw coffee beans imported from Brazil.

The green development of agriculture has always been one of China's focal points in ensuring sustainable and high-quality development.

In November 2021, the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a notice on the implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) to promote the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, emphasizing the promotion of green development in agriculture.

The notice called for the establishment of a national grain security industry chain with a solid production foundation, integrated agglomeration clusters, and green, high-quality and efficient characteristics.