China's network of temperature-controlled shipping, vital for the transportation of produce and perishable goods, continued to improve steadily in the first quarter of 2024.
The logistics network, known as cold-chain logistics, amounted to some 139 billion yuan (about 20 billion U.S. dollars) year on year for the quarter, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Sunday.
The rising revenues for shippers stem from a surge in demand for the service, which was up 5.2 percent year on year for the period, the federation said.
In particular, demand for the shipping of high-quality fruits and vegetables is surging, said Cui Zhongfu, vice head of the CFLP, stressing that the country's cold-chain logistics is operating smoothly.
"Influenced by the overall recovery of the macro-economy and the resurgence in consumption growth, the scale of the cold chain industry in the first quarter also exhibited an upward trend," Cui said.
Rising demand in the sector is also tied to the rapid growth of consumer interest in fresh produce as well as prepared dishes that require temperature control.
In the first quarter, income in the catering industry reached 1,344 billion yuan (about 190 billion U.S. dollars), up 10.8 percent year on year. This surge in income has driven both the cold chain for ingredients and the urban distribution market to continue their upward trend.
During the same period, China imported nearly 150 billion yuan (about 21 billion U.S. dollars) of agricultural products from countries along the Belt and Road, up 61.7 percent year on year.
"In the first quarter of this year, the import of agricultural products grew very fast, and the demand for cold chain infrastructure played an important role in driving the recovery of the cold chain market," Cui said.
China's cold food, produce shipping steadily rebounds in Q1
