Luzhou's liquor industry eyes global market

Luzhou, a city in Sichuan province known for its time-honored liquor culture, held an investment conference on Sept 25 to draw visitors with quality Chinese liquor and a series of activities. The event was part of the 13th Western China International Fair (WCIF) in Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan.

"The fair provides a platform for us to promote our popularity," said Liu Qiang, mayor of Luzhou. "Thanks to the event, investors are able to know more about Luzhou and develop friendships with us."

The Luzhou Investment Promotion Conference inked 95 program contracts, attracting total capital of 52.4 billion yuan ($8.33 billion). Programs involved new energy and materials, biomedicine, energy conservation and environmental protection, and modern agriculture.

"Three billion yuan from Sihai Group, a famous Chinese private enterprise, will be invested in agricultural products retail," Liu added. "We also signed a cooperation agreement with State-owned Shenhua Group to improve environmental protection and develop a circular economy."

In recent years, Luzhou has endorsed strategies made by the Sichuan provincial government to forge the "Chinese Liquor Golden Triangle". The city also released a wholesale liquor price index in March 2012, the first of its kind in the country, to help liquor enterprises and customers follow price trends in the liquor industry.

"Luzhou aims to produce high-quality liquor tailored to global markets," said Liu.