The inaugural Canned Food Culture Festival, organized by the China Canned Food Industry Association and the People's Government of Linyi City, Shandong Province, and hosted by the People's Government of Pingyi County and the Pingyi County Canned Food Industry Association, will be held in Pingyi County, Shandong Province from September 26th to October 2nd. This announcement was made during this morning's press conference for the first Canned Food Culture Festival held in Beijing.

During the press conference, Mr. Liu Youqian, Chairman of the China Canned Food Industry Association, explained the purpose, significance, and the choice of Pingyi as the venue for the inaugural Canned Food Culture Festival. He stated that China's canned food industry has actively responded to and achieved significant results in implementing the "dual circulation" strategy, which promotes both domestic and international economic development.

Externally, the average export price of canned goods has been continuously increasing, and high-quality and competitively priced canned products from China are gaining favor in international markets. Internally, after three years of concerted efforts in promoting and educating the public about canned food through special initiatives by the China Canned Food Industry Association, awareness and understanding of canned food science have significantly improved. Additionally, with innovations in the canned food industry, the domestic market potential for canned goods is gradually being realized. Per capita consumption of canned food is expected to increase substantially, indicating a promising outlook for the industry.

Therefore, the industry requires platforms like the "inaugural Canned Food Culture Festival." On one hand, it can bring together industry leaders to collaborate on the development of the industry, promote innovation, and drive progress. On the other hand, it serves as a platform to showcase and expand the influence of China's canned food industry on a global scale, further enhancing the overall image of the industry and solidifying its increasingly important position in the global market.

Mr. Wang Jiaqing, Director of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Linyi City, provided an explanation regarding Linyi City's support for the development of the canned food industry and the shared objectives with the China Canned Food Industry Association as co-organizers. He stated that in recent years, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Linyi City has been dedicated to the development of local specialties and has fully implemented policies aimed at supporting the industry. They have integrated agricultural policies, projects, and funding to promote the growth of characteristic industries.

In Pingyi County, they have implemented several projects, including the National Agricultural Industry Strong Town Project, Agricultural Product Fresh Preservation and Cold Storage Project, Provincial-Level High-Quality Agricultural Product Processing Leading County Project, and Municipal-Level Yangtze River Delta High-Quality Agricultural Product Supply Base Project. These initiatives have played a significant role in the transformation, upgrading, and rapid development of the canned food industry in Pingyi County.

Looking ahead, Linyi City will prioritize Pingyi County as the focal point for transforming and upgrading the canned food industry. It will serve as a benchmark project and a demonstration project for rural revitalization and shared prosperity in the Yimeng area. They will strategically plan, clarify the development path, strengthen policy measures, and continue to enhance the influence of the Linyi (Pingyi) canned food brand. This will contribute to the high-quality development of the canned food industry and provide greater support from Linyi City.

Additionally, Mr. Wang acknowledged the China Canned Food Industry Association's leadership and innovation in the industry, emphasizing that hosting the inaugural Canned Food Culture Festival in Linyi, especially in Pingyi, provides valuable insights, significant opportunities, and a platform for cooperation. This initiative is expected to drive the industry forward, ensuring that it stays current and undergoes positive transformation.

Mr. Guo Peng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Pingyi County Committee and Deputy County Mayor, responded to questions from reporters and provided insights into the advantages of Pingyi County's canned food industry development, its industry development plan, and the preparations for the "inaugural Canned Food Culture Festival."

He mentioned that the rapid development of Pingyi County's canned food industry is attributed to several key factors. Firstly, the region benefits from high-quality fruit cultivation bases, a well-established industrial chain, and a favorable business environment. In terms of fruit raw materials, Pingyi County boasts national geographical indication products such as Wutai Yellow Peaches, Tianbaoshan Hawthorns, and Tianbaoshan Pineapples. With a fruit cultivation area of 260,000 mu (about 17,333 hectares) and an annual production of approximately 500,000 tons, the county provides top-notch raw materials for canned food processing.

Regarding the industrial chain, Pingyi County has a complete and highly concentrated canned food industry chain, forming a closed-loop for the development of the canned food industry. Concerning the business environment, the Pingyi County Committee and County Government are committed to enhancing enterprise satisfaction and have been diligently creating a fair, transparent, and stable business environment. They strive to serve as "attendants" and "supporters" to local businesses.

In the next steps, Pingyi County will continue to focus on the development of the entire industry chain. They will concentrate on attracting major players, nurturing industry leaders, promoting technological innovation, and building strong brands. These efforts aim to enhance the core competitiveness of Pingyi's canned food industry and drive its development towards clustering, scaling, diversification, and branding.

Guo Peng stated that this cultural festival will be rich and diverse and is scheduled to start on September 26th, lasting for approximately a week in Pingyi County. During this period, various events will take place, including the opening ceremony, the China Canned Food Industry Development Conference, the expanded meeting of the China Canned Food Industry Association Council, brand exhibitions, cultural performances, sculpture displays, and more. Currently, all preparations are underway in an organized and intense manner, with the expectation that preliminary preparations will be completed by September 24th.