Aquatic product supply continues to rise, driving increased demand for cold-chain logistics.

Recently, the 20th China International Maritime Exhibition was held in Shanghai. During the event, it was announced that China will build 300 “offshore mobile aquaculture farms,” thereby establishing a deep-sea aquaculture industrial chain that encompasses fish farming, harvesting, and processing. In recent years, Chinese consumers’ demand for aquatic products has risen, accelerating the growth of China’s aquatic-product market. And Cold-chain transportation The rapid development of the profession, in turn, has provided Aquatic products The mall’s operations have laid a solid foundation.

In recent years, China’s aquatic products market has expanded steadily, with continuous growth in the supply of aquatic products. According to data from the 2018 China Fisheries Statistical Yearbook, in 2017 the total output value of China’s fisheries and aquaculture industries reached RMB 566.662 billion, of which the aquatic product processing sector accounted for RMB 430.51 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.3%.

As is well known, freshness is of paramount importance for aquatic products. To maintain their superior quality during transportation, cold-chain logistics has become a critical link in the aquaculture and seafood supply chain. Cold-chain logistics involves maintaining all stages—production, storage, transportation, and retail—within prescribed low-temperature conditions to ensure product quality and minimize losses due to spoilage.

In recent years, China’s cold-chain logistics market has continued to expand. According to statistics released by the Foresight Industry Research Institute, the size of China’s cold-chain logistics market grew year on year from 2012 to 2017. By 2017, the market had reached RMB 255 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 13.33%.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure for cold-chain logistics is continuously being improved. For instance, refrigerated trucks, a critical component of the cold chain, have seen their production steadily increase year after year. Data show that from 2012 to 2017, China’s refrigerated-truck output rose from 8,500 units to 33,800 units, and it is estimated that by 2022, China’s refrigerated-truck output will exceed 100,000 units.

For another example, domestically Aquaculture Cold Storage Both the quantity and quality of such facilities are steadily improving. According to available data, in 2018 China had 7,957 aquatic-product cold-storage facilities, and significant progress has also been made in cold-storage technology for aquatic products. Today, domestic cold-storage facilities boast advanced ice-making, refrigeration, and freezing capabilities, effectively safeguarding the quality of raw aquatic products as well as processed seafood products.

Although China’s cold-chain logistics sector has experienced rapid growth over the past two years, it remains undeniable that, compared with developed countries, the sector still faces challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, uneven equipment distribution, inconsistent types and quality of equipment, and a low level of information technology integration.

To address this, relevant enterprises should engage in sound planning when developing cold-chain logistics infrastructure, ensuring more even geographic distribution of facilities to reduce transportation costs and enhance operational efficiency. At the same time, companies should not only build large-scale storage-type cold storage facilities but also prioritize the development of medium- and small-sized cold storage units and processing-oriented cold storage facilities. Furthermore, they should optimize the storage and transportation functions of cold storage facilities, refrigerated trucks, and other equipment to achieve more precise temperature control, improve equipment quality, and thereby elevate the overall performance of cold-chain logistics operations.

In addition, enterprises must enhance the level of informationization of their equipment. The lack of effective oversight and traceability throughout the cold-chain process is one of the primary reasons for quality issues in cold-chain products today. As consumers become increasingly vigilant about food safety, information technology can strengthen monitoring of cold-chain logistics, standardize and increase transparency in product transportation processes, reduce food spoilage rates, prevent food-safety incidents, and ultimately minimize losses for businesses.

Today, China has become one of the world’s leading producers of aquatic products. According to statistics, at that time the cold-chain circulation rate for aquatic products in China reached 23%, and the refrigerated transportation rate reached 40%, both experiencing rapid growth. However, as the aquatic-product market continues to expand, cold-chain logistics enterprises must further optimize infrastructure development and production processes, enhance the level of digitalization and informationization of equipment, and thereby further improve the efficiency of cold-chain circulation for aquatic products.

Fuzhou Development Zone Dongsheng Aquatic Products Co., Ltd. www.tosun5758.com