Fresh corn potential grabs ear of Jilin entrepreneur
China Daily | Updated: 2023-09-20 09:52
CHANGCHUN — After learning about fresh corn at an investment fair and being intrigued by its commercial prospects, Hu Junhao set up a small processing plant in the city of Songyuan, Jilin province, in 2016.
In recent years, the market popularity of fresh corn has continued to surge thanks to its greater sweetness, higher water content and glutinous texture.
It is gradually becoming a profitable sector of the Chinese corn industry, alongside corn feed and corn deep-processed products.
Located near 45 degrees north latitude, Jilin is known as one of the three golden corn belts in the world, boasting high-quality yields of the crop.
Over the years, Songyuan has proactively nurtured the growth of the fresh corn industry, resulting in the emergence of processing enterprises such as Hu's company.
"The peak season for fresh corn production and processing starts in early August and lasts over a month. Our order book is full, and we will be producing at full capacity," said Hu, chairman of Tianfuyu Food Company.
In the early days of its inception, the company was faced with financial constraints and lacked automation, so Hu had to hire local villagers to manually peel corn.
To efficiently run the company, he immersed himself in every aspect of fresh corn production, from seed selection, water management and fertilizer application during planting to the careful management of harvesting and processing.
After over seven years of diligent management, the company has since witnessed consistent growth in both sales and revenue, while the production process has progressively transitioned toward automation.
At present, the company is making continuous efforts to achieve high-quality development. Every year, it works with agricultural research institutions to cultivate new corn varieties that align with consumer preferences for fresh corn.
According to statistics, the planting area of fresh corn in Songyuan was about 7,400 hectares last year, with 37 processing enterprises raking in sales revenue of 364 million yuan ($50.71 million).
Xinhua
