“It’s the largest cold chain distribution center for yellow gingers in Hunan province and even in South China. It has driven 2,298 households on the road toward prosperity,” said Zhu Wanbing, chairman of Rucheng Xinlong Agricultural Development Company. 

 

Previously, Zhu Wanbing had been engaged in the trade and sales of small yellow ginger in Dongguan, Guangdong province for about 30 years. In 2020, he returned to his hometown to develop the small yellow ginger industry.

 

 

 

Over the past four years, he has initiated a ginger association in the county with 336 members, cooperated with ten farmer professional cooperatives and family farms, and established a small ginger cold chain distribution center. 

 

With a total investment of over 70 million yuan, the first phase of the cold chain distribution center has built an automated cleaning line covering an area of 62 mu (about 4.13 hectares) and a preservation cold storage of about 20,000 cubic meters. And its storage capacity is equivalent to that of 600 traditional ginger cellars. It can store 15,000 tons of small yellow ginger with an annual circulation storage of 60,000 tons of yellow ginger. 

 

 

 

By using technological means to control temperature and humidity, not only can the cold chain loss be controlled at around 5%, but the shelf life of yellow ginger can also be extended to more than one year. 

 

In this way, the stored products can be intensively purchased, stored and sold during the off-peak season. This creates a win-win situation for agricultural enterprises, cooperatives, farmers and merchants. 

 

Zhu Wanbing added that thanks to the cold chain distribution, the cultivation area of small yellow ginger in Rucheng County has been increased from 30,000 mu (2,000 hectares) to 50,000 mu (about 3,333 hectares). It can provide opportunities for over 30,000 local villagers annually and increase villagers’ income by about 30 million yuan.