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Booming demand fuels growth in China's cold-chain logistics
People's Daily reporters
Photo shows a smart cold-chain logistics industrial park in Hefei, east China's Anhui province. (Photo/Yuan Bing)
Before dawn in Dongying, Shandong, crab farmers in Yong'an Township haul traps from shimmering ponds, revealing green-shelled, white-bellied Chinese mitten crabs with signature golden claws. Within 12 hours, these delicacies would arrive at dining tables across the country, made possible by China's rapidly advancing cold-chain logistics network.
Inside the packaging workshop of Dongying Huize Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., workers sort crabs under stringent protocols. "To ensure freshness, we've built an integrated cold-chain logistics and distribution warehouse," said company general manager Wang Yingze.
"Before shipment, the crabs are pre-cooled for six to eight hours to preserve quality and minimize losses during transport," Wang added.
In the warehouse, express delivery vehicles from China Post, SF Express, JINGDONG Logistics, and other companies operate in a steady flow. "During peak season, we handle up to 20,000 orders a day, some 20 to 25 tons of crabs," Wang said.
As consumer demand for freshness grows - whether for summer fruits from the south or autumn seafood - China's cold-chain logistics industry is experiencing robust expansion. According to the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP), food-related cold-chain logistics demand reached 192 million tons in the first half of this year, up 4.35 percent year on year. Corresponding revenues climbed to 279.94 billion yuan ($39.31 billion), up 3.84 percent.
"With fresh food consumption entering its peak season, the cold-chain logistics industry is showing strong momentum and growing resilience," said Liu Fei, executive deputy secretary-general of CFLP's cold-chain logistics committee.
Backed by national planning and surging market demand, China is accelerating the construction and intelligent upgrading of cold storage infrastructure. In June this year, a 920 million yuan super cold storage facility with over 150,000 tons of capacity was launched at the Bainipo Industrial Park in Suixi county, Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong province. From there, seafood and tropical fruits from surrounding areas can reach dinner tables across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area within just five hours.
On Oct. 8, a cargo flight flying between Europe and Asia landed at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, carrying four tons of Atlantic salmon. The seafood was swiftly transferred to cold storage via refrigerated trucks.
"Imported chilled seafood now basically arrives and goes on sale the same day," said Tan Weiping, deputy general manager of Shenzhen Airport International Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. "Our intelligent cold storage and streamlined customs processes have significantly enhanced efficiency."
The facility maintains temperatures from minus 25 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius, and is equipped with 11 dedicated loading and unloading platforms directly linked to refrigerated trucks. "This reduces exposure time and minimizes quality loss," Tan explained.
Equipped with Internet of Things technology, the system enables real-time monitoring and remote control of temperature and humidity, ensuring optimal storage conditions and efficient logistics operations.
In the first nine months of this year, the cold storage facility of Shenzhen Airport International Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. handled 31,000 tons of perishable goods, including chilled seafood, live produce, and fruit, up 36 percent year on year, accounting for over 48 percent of total inbound cargo.
Nationwide, cold storage investment reached 22.3 billion yuan in the first half of the year, a 7.67 percent increase year on year. By the end of June, China's total cold storage capacity stood at 260 million cubic meters, equivalent to about 104 million tons, marking a 6.12 percent year-on-year rise.
The growth of fresh food e-commerce and chain catering is also driving surging demand for urban cold-chain delivery, leading to a boom in refrigerated truck sales. According to CFLP, 29,474 refrigerated trucks were sold in the first half of this year, up 18.19 percent year on year. Notably, 10,548 of these were new energy vehicles, an impressive 119.61 percent increase.
New energy light trucks, offering extended range and improved performance, are increasingly deployed for both short-haul urban deliveries and intercity routes.
"Orders for Yutong's light trucks have surged, with our production lines fully booked through December," said Wang Le, head of marketing of the light truck subsidiary of Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Yutong. "We're introducing models with larger batteries and longer ranges. These upgrades drove a 60 percent year-on-year increase in our cold-chain truck sales during the first eight months of this year."
Inside the packaging workshop of Dongying Huize Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., workers sort crabs under stringent protocols. "To ensure freshness, we've built an integrated cold-chain logistics and distribution warehouse," said company general manager Wang Yingze.
"Before shipment, the crabs are pre-cooled for six to eight hours to preserve quality and minimize losses during transport," Wang added.
In the warehouse, express delivery vehicles from China Post, SF Express, JINGDONG Logistics, and other companies operate in a steady flow. "During peak season, we handle up to 20,000 orders a day, some 20 to 25 tons of crabs," Wang said.
As consumer demand for freshness grows - whether for summer fruits from the south or autumn seafood - China's cold-chain logistics industry is experiencing robust expansion. According to the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP), food-related cold-chain logistics demand reached 192 million tons in the first half of this year, up 4.35 percent year on year. Corresponding revenues climbed to 279.94 billion yuan ($39.31 billion), up 3.84 percent.
"With fresh food consumption entering its peak season, the cold-chain logistics industry is showing strong momentum and growing resilience," said Liu Fei, executive deputy secretary-general of CFLP's cold-chain logistics committee.
Backed by national planning and surging market demand, China is accelerating the construction and intelligent upgrading of cold storage infrastructure. In June this year, a 920 million yuan super cold storage facility with over 150,000 tons of capacity was launched at the Bainipo Industrial Park in Suixi county, Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong province. From there, seafood and tropical fruits from surrounding areas can reach dinner tables across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area within just five hours.
On Oct. 8, a cargo flight flying between Europe and Asia landed at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, carrying four tons of Atlantic salmon. The seafood was swiftly transferred to cold storage via refrigerated trucks.
"Imported chilled seafood now basically arrives and goes on sale the same day," said Tan Weiping, deputy general manager of Shenzhen Airport International Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. "Our intelligent cold storage and streamlined customs processes have significantly enhanced efficiency."
The facility maintains temperatures from minus 25 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius, and is equipped with 11 dedicated loading and unloading platforms directly linked to refrigerated trucks. "This reduces exposure time and minimizes quality loss," Tan explained.
Equipped with Internet of Things technology, the system enables real-time monitoring and remote control of temperature and humidity, ensuring optimal storage conditions and efficient logistics operations.
In the first nine months of this year, the cold storage facility of Shenzhen Airport International Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. handled 31,000 tons of perishable goods, including chilled seafood, live produce, and fruit, up 36 percent year on year, accounting for over 48 percent of total inbound cargo.
Nationwide, cold storage investment reached 22.3 billion yuan in the first half of the year, a 7.67 percent increase year on year. By the end of June, China's total cold storage capacity stood at 260 million cubic meters, equivalent to about 104 million tons, marking a 6.12 percent year-on-year rise.
The growth of fresh food e-commerce and chain catering is also driving surging demand for urban cold-chain delivery, leading to a boom in refrigerated truck sales. According to CFLP, 29,474 refrigerated trucks were sold in the first half of this year, up 18.19 percent year on year. Notably, 10,548 of these were new energy vehicles, an impressive 119.61 percent increase.
New energy light trucks, offering extended range and improved performance, are increasingly deployed for both short-haul urban deliveries and intercity routes.
"Orders for Yutong's light trucks have surged, with our production lines fully booked through December," said Wang Le, head of marketing of the light truck subsidiary of Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Yutong. "We're introducing models with larger batteries and longer ranges. These upgrades drove a 60 percent year-on-year increase in our cold-chain truck sales during the first eight months of this year."
