A melon seed 'buy nationwide, sell globally'

Article source: China Guomen Times

In the early morning, the production workshop of Anhui Lefang Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Lefang Food") located in Xuanzhou Modern Agriculture Industrial Park (Honglin Town) in Xuancheng City was busy. On the automated roasting production line, plump sunflower seeds from Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia production areas are packaged and packaged after multiple processes such as screening, seasoning, roasting, and cooling, and are about to be exported to overseas markets.

Lefang Food is a "Anhui time-honored brand" enterprise founded in 1986, deeply engaged in the fried food industry for nearly 40 years, and has now grown into a "leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization in Anhui Province" and a "technology-based small and medium-sized enterprise in Anhui Province". With the official launch of the "Annual Production of 40000 Tons of Melon Seeds, Peanuts, and 8000 Tons of High end Nuts Project", its product categories have covered sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, etc., laying a solid production capacity foundation for expanding overseas markets.

We insist on producing all raw materials domestically. Sunflower seeds from Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other real estate industries have large particles, thin shells and thick flesh, and stable quality, laying a solid foundation for us to expand production capacity and ensure exports, "said Fang Sihan, the production manager of Lefang Food, holding the freshly baked sunflower seeds. Faced with the diversified taste demands of overseas markets, the company adheres to a market-oriented approach and continues to develop new flavors and formulas. From the spicy flavors of Southeast Asia to the light salt and sweet flavors of Europe and America, we constantly adjust our craftsmanship to ensure that every melon seed meets the preferences of local consumers

The production of multiple categories and standards has also brought challenges to quality control - different countries have different standards for food additives, labels, microbial limits, etc., making it difficult for enterprises to fully grasp them, which once led to export obstacles.

In response to the problems encountered by enterprises, Xuancheng Customs under Hefei Customs has established a "Customs Enterprise Liaison Officer+Cloud Classroom" mechanism to interpret the regulations and standards of the export target market for enterprises, guide enterprises to improve the full chain quality control system from raw material acceptance, production and processing to finished product inspection, and promote the establishment of HACCP management system for enterprises. At the same time, we will open a "green channel" for the export of agricultural and food products, achieving "reporting and inspection at the same time, fast inspection and release", significantly reducing customs clearance time, and helping enterprises seize international market orders.

The combination of corporate strength and policy dividends has enabled Lefang Food to successfully expand into more overseas markets. This year, we have successfully entered emerging markets such as the Philippines, and the export value of melon seeds has increased significantly year-on-year, "said Su Weishan, the head of foreign trade at Lefang Food.

Although melon seeds are small, they have become a typical example of Anhui food enterprises' "buying nationwide and selling globally", and have also driven the development and growth of Xuancheng's food export industry. At present, there are 84 food production enterprises for export in Xuancheng, and their products are exported to more than 80 countries and regions around the world. In the first 10 months of this year, the cumulative value of exported food goods under the supervision of Xuancheng Customs reached 490 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.4%.