Market Analysis of China’s Aquatic Prefabricated Vegetable Industry Cluster

Prefabricated dishes refer to finished or semi-finished products made from agricultural, livestock, poultry, and aquatic products as raw materials, combined with various auxiliary materials, produced by professional personnel through mature processes in the central kitchen, scientifically packaged, and distributed through specialized channels. According to the main raw materials, it is divided into four categories: meat, aquatic products, grains, and fruits, vegetables, and fungi. Among them, the cost of meat and poultry accounts for the highest proportion of 54%, followed by aquatic products, accounting for 27%.The main raw materials for aquatic prefabricated dishes are freshwater products and seafood products, so the industrial clusters of aquatic prefabricated dishes are also mostly distributed in coastal provinces and cities. Based on the advantages of raw materials, industry, and honors, the Food Industry Park Research Institute has selected six characteristic aquatic prefabricated vegetable industry clusters for analysis and explored different development models.According to statistics, in 2022, the overall market size of prefabricated vegetables in China was about 419.6 billion yuan, of which the market size of aquatic prefabricated vegetables was 104.7 billion yuan, breaking through the market size of 100 billion yuan for the first time, accounting for 24.95% of the overall market size. According to predictions, the scale of prefabricated seafood dishes will exceed 200 billion yuan in 2025.12.png13.pngData source: iMedia ConsultingSince 2022, various provinces, cities (counties) have introduced relevant policies to support the development of the prefabricated vegetable industry in their respective regions from the perspectives of prefabricated vegetable industrial parks, funds, technology, etc. The Food Industry Park Research Institute has selected six coastal cities, including Zhanjiang City, Zhuhai City, Shunde District of Foshan, Gaoyao District of Zhaoqing, Dalian City, and Weihai City, based on their advantages in location, resources, industry, and policy, to analyze the development model of aquatic prefabricated vegetables.14.pngZhanjiang, GuangdongLocation advantage: Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province is the most distinctive ecological bay city in southern China, with an integrated urban area of land and sea. The city has the sea and the sea within the city, serving as the “one bay on both sides”. The coastline is 2043 kilometers long, accounting for about 1/10 of the country’s total. It has over 140 islands of all sizes and a sea area of 20000 square kilometers. It is the prefecture level city in Guangdong Province with the longest coastline, the most islands, and the strongest seafood.Resource advantage: The rich resources of aquatic products have laid the foundation for the development of prefabricated aquatic dishes in Zhanjiang. According to statistics, the aquaculture area in Zhanjiang City is 1.2 million mu, with a production of 1.25 million tons of aquatic products and a production value of 27.46 billion yuan. As one of the five major production bases of “Beiyun Cuisine” in China, Zhanjiang has the advantage of special agricultural products such as golden pomfret, tilapia, prawn, etc., and has won the honorary titles of “City of Prawn in China”, “City of City of Gastronomy of Seafood in China”, “City of Golden pomfret in China”, etc.15.jpgIndustrial advantages: Leading agricultural enterprises such as Zhengda Group, Guangdong Hengxing, Zhanjiang Guolian, and Jinling Group have relied on their industrial chain advantages to create standardized central kitchens, achieving the integrated development of agriculture, industry, and commerce. Enterprises such as Zhanjiang Yutang Mansion and Dashen Food in the catering industry mainly focus on the preservation, packaging, and logistics distribution of dishes through cooperation with scientific research units. Guolian Aquatic upgraded its automated and intelligent processing technology, increased research and development investment in comprehensive aquatic product deep processing, and in 2020, the proportion of aquatic food revenue reached 91.97%.Policy advantages: In July 2022, the People’s Government of Zhanjiang issued the “Twelve Measures to Promote the High Quality Development of Zhanjiang’s Precast Vegetable Industry”, proposing to create two prefabricated vegetable industrial parks in Wuchuan and Suixi, promote the supply and marketing cooperatives to build a 1+6+2 cold chain logistics backbone network (1 central warehouse, 6 origin warehouses, and 2 distribution platforms), support the establishment of a prefabricated vegetable industry federation, and adopt the “Cantonese cuisine master+prefabricated vegetable whole industry chain” model, Multiple measures are being taken in parallel to promote the high-quality development of the prefabricated vegetable industry in Zhanjiang City.Multiple advantages coexist. In June 2022, the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association awarded Zhanjiang City as the “Capital of Chinese Aquatic Products Prefabricated Vegetables”.Zhuhai, GuangdongLocation advantage: Zhuhai is located in the Pearl River Delta region with the most active economy in China, and is the core city on the west bank of the the Pearl River. It is connected to Macau to the south and overlooks Hong Kong to the east. Having the largest land port in the country and 24-hour convenient customs clearance, it holds an important strategic position in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao region. Centered around Doumen, within a 2-hour drive, various industries are fully equipped, and products can be shipped to various parts of the world through Hong Kong and Macau within 1 hour. Doumen is fully integrated into the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.16.pngResource advantages: Zhuhai is the “capital of Chinese sea bass”, while Baijiao Town in Doumen District is the “hometown of Chinese sea bass”. Doumen District is also the largest and technologically advanced sea bass production area in China. According to statistics, the aquaculture area in Zhuhai is 331800 acres, with a production of 333400 tons of aquatic products and an overall aquatic output value of 7.1 billion yuan. Among them, the aquaculture area of sea bass in Doumen District reaches 39000 acres, with a yield of 156000 tons and an output value of 3.2 billion yuan. Sea bass production accounts for over 50% of the total sea bass production in China.Talent advantage: Zhuhai Technician College and Zhuhai Agricultural Group Company jointly build the first “Prefabricated Vegetable Craftsman College” in Zhuhai, integrating industry, academia, and research to jointly promote the high-quality development of Zhuhai’s prefabricated vegetable industry. The college will focus on building a “one hospital, one platform, and three centers”, namely the Prefabricated Vegetable Craftsman College, the Prefabricated Vegetable Human Resources Service Platform, the Prefabricated Vegetable Industry Standards Research Center, the Prefabricated Vegetable Vocational Skills Training and Guidance Center, and the Prefabricated Vegetable R&D Center. The college will establish a “Prefabricated Vegetable R&D and Operation Management” major, and utilize the hardware facilities, equipment, and other high-quality resources within the Doumen Prefabricated Vegetable Industrial Park to cultivate production, R&D A versatile talent with knowledge and skills related to operations and management.Policy advantages: In October 2022, the Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government issued the “Several Measures to Accelerate the High Quality Development of Zhuhai’s Prefabricated Vegetable Industry”, which proposed the planning and construction of a prefabricated vegetable specialty park with a focus on Doumen District and moderate expansion to Jinwan District; Deeply cultivate Zhuhai’s characteristic agricultural products such as white banana sea bass, Jinwan yellow fin bream, Pingsha Gui shrimp, Wanshan Jin pomfret, Guishan fish glue, strengthen brand promotion, establish a group of well-known pre made vegetable brands, and form a pre made vegetable product advantage zone. Promote the deep integration of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, and promote the formation of a high-quality, green, healthy, and advantageous prefabricated vegetable specialty industry highland in Zhuhai.In November 2022, the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association awarded Zhuhai the regional characteristic brand title of “China Sea Bass Prefabricated Vegetable Capital”.Shunde, Foshan, GuangdongResource advantages: Shunde is one of the important aquatic product bases in Guangdong, with an aquaculture area of 150000 acres, an annual output of over 300000 tons, and an output value of over 8 billion yuan. The annual output of squid accounts for 20% of the country, and the annual output of eel accounts for 30% of the country. Having the title of “Hometown of Chinese Eels”, geographical indication of agricultural product “Shunde Eel”, and national famous and high-quality new agricultural products such as “Shunde Eel” and “Shunde Grass Grass Grass Carp”, abundant and distinctive aquatic products are conducive to Shunde quickly seizing the domestic market of aquatic prefabricated dishes.Industrial advantages: As the “hometown of Chinese chefs”, as of 2022, Shunde has 43 “Chinese culinary masters”, 27 “Chinese culinary masters”, and 20 “diamond chefs who eat in Guangdong”. The development of the catering industry has made it easier to process Shunde classic dishes such as fish soup, roasted eel, Buddha jumps over the wall and so on into prefabricated dishes. With the advantage of prefabricated dishes such as Guangdong Fengshunkong Prefabricated Dishes Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Yijia Food Technology Co., Ltd., local specialty dishes can be rapidly promoted.17.pngPolicy advantages: In May 2022, the Shunde District People’s Government released the “Six Ones” Implementation Plan for Accelerating the High Quality Development of the Prefabricated Vegetable Industry in Shunde District, which includes a set of policies to support the development of prefabricated vegetables, the construction of a prefabricated vegetable industry park, the establishment of a prefabricated vegetable industry development fund, the holding of a prefabricated vegetable industry conference, and the creation of a prefabricated vegetable research and development and talent training base Establish a prefabricated vegetable industry association and other projects to promote the high-quality development of the local prefabricated vegetable industry.In August 2022, the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association awarded Shunde District the title of “Hometown of Chinese Aquatic Products Prefabricated Vegetables” as a regional characteristic brand.Guangdong Zhaoqing GaoyaoResource advantages: Gaoyao District is known as a “land of fish and rice”, with industries such as grain, vegetables, livestock and poultry, and aquatic products ranking among the top in the province in terms of scale and output. It has formed a group of characteristic agricultural product brands such as Maixi carp, Maixi grass carp, Roche shrimp, tilapia, cinnamon, and bergamot. As the “Hometown of Macrobrachium rosenbergii in China” and “Hometown of Tilapia in China”, Gaoyao District has an aquaculture area of 321800 acres, a seafood production of 174000 tons, and a production value of 3.28 billion yuan. Among them, the cultivation area of Macrobrachium rosenbergii reaches 91000 mu, with a yield of 35000 tons.Industrial advantages: In 2021, 11 designated enterprises engaged in the production of prefabricated vegetables in Gaoyao District achieved a total output value of 5.7 billion yuan, creating a strong atmosphere and solid industrial foundation for the prefabricated vegetable industry. Among them, as a subsidiary of Guangdong Hengxing Group Co., Ltd., the leading enterprise of prefabricated dishes in the province, Zhaoqing Hengxing Aquatic Science and Technology Co., Ltd. has made a comprehensive layout of food based agricultural products, and has made every effort to race the prefabricated dishes. At present, there are more than 200 types of prefabricated dishes, such as pickled Chinese cabbage fish in golden soup, black fish fillet without starch, Yiye Chengjin pomfret, Hengxing fresh shrimp, etc., which are sold to the domestic and international markets. In 2021, the company’s sales of prefabricated vegetable products reached 300 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 30%.Platform advantages: Gaoyao District regards the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area (Zhaoqing Gaoyao) Prefabricated Vegetable Industrial Park as the “No.1 Project”, and promotes it at full speed with the help of the entire district, gathering advantages from all parties to stimulate “resources × platform × Supporting the “multiplier effect” and constructing a high standard prefabricated vegetable demonstration park that integrates the functions of the entire industry chain of deep processing of meat and aquatic products. At present, construction of the RCEP Digital Valley for Prefabricated Vegetables in the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao (Zhaoqing Gaoyao) has begun. The Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area (Zhaoqing) Aquatic Products and Prefabricated Vegetable Raw Materials Comprehensive Trading Center has been completed and put into trial operation. Key projects such as the Zhaoqing (Huaiji) Green Agricultural Products Distribution Base in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, the Zhaoqing Distribution Sub center for “Vegetable Basket” Products in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Zhaoqing Tianqing Agricultural Products Cold Chain Logistics Industrial Park were completed and put into use in 2024.18.jpgIn January 2023, the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association awarded the regional characteristic brand title of “Hometown of China’s Roche Macrobrachium Prawn Prefabricated Vegetable Industry” to Gaoyao District, Zhaoqing City.Dalian, LiaoningLocation advantages: Dalian is located on the east coast of Eurasia, the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula in northeast China, bordering the Yellow Sea in the east, the Bohai Sea in the west, the Shandong Peninsula across the sea in the south, and the vast Northeast China Plain in the north. It is an important coastal port city in Liaoning Province, China, and a major gateway to the outside world in Northeast China; It is also an important international shipping center, international logistics center, and regional financial center in Northeast Asia.Resource advantages: Dalian is the origin and main production area of various seafood products such as sea cucumber, abalone, sea urchin, and oysters, and enjoys many good reputations such as “Seafood City” and “Liaoshen City”. In recent years, Dalian has accelerated the transformation of aquaculture methods, with the scale of proliferation and release ranking first among similar cities in China; Develop 25 national level marine ranching demonstration zones, ranking first in the country in terms of quantity. According to statistics, the aquaculture area in Dalian City reaches 6.483 million acres, with a aquaculture output of 2.451 million tons and a production value of 39.62 billion yuan.Industrial advantages: The prefabricated vegetable industry in Dalian has initially formed eight prefabricated vegetable clusters, covering multiple types of products such as aquatic products, vegetables and fruits, noodles, poultry and livestock. Among them, seaweed, shrimp, crabs, ginseng, abalone, and other aquatic prefabricated vegetables account for 46% of the total prefabricated vegetable output value, especially seaweed prefabricated vegetables, which are the largest single product in Dalian’s prefabricated vegetables. In addition to approximately 900 pre made vegetable enterprises, Dalian also has over 1300 cold chain processing enterprises with an annual processing capacity of over 3.2 million tons. Its products are exported to more than 30 countries and regions both domestically and internationally, with an annual output value of 100 billion yuan. It is expected that by the end of 2024, the pre made vegetable industry in Dalian will have an output value of 300 billion yuan.19.jpgPlatform advantages: Dalian has successively built Dalian Prefabricated Vegetable Industrial Park and Dalian Modern Agricultural Industrial Center, established the Jinpu New Area Prefabricated Vegetable Industry Alliance and the Liaoning Provincial Catering and Culinary Industry Association Prefabricated Vegetable Special Committee. The association and industrial park work together to provide themed activities such as exhibition and sales coordination, pre made food festivals, and new product releases for member units, providing an excellent development environment for the pre made food industry in Dalian and achieving sustainable development of pre made food in Liaoning.The Dalian Municipal Party Committee and Government attach great importance to the development of the prefabricated vegetable industry. In September 2022, they proposed using seafood as a breakthrough point to promote the transformation and upgrading of Dalian’s marine food industry to the marine food industry, create a trillion level marine (agricultural) product prefabricated vegetable industry cluster, and create the “Capital of China’s Seafood Prefabricated Vegetable”.Weihai, ShandongResource advantages: Marine fishery is the biggest advantage and characteristic of the marine industry in Weihai City. Weihai has the most abundant resources, the best environment, and the highest comprehensive benefits of marine pastures in the province, the largest offshore and deep-sea fishing fleet, the strongest seafood processing industry cluster, and has titles such as “China Seafood Famous City” and “China Seafood Capital”. According to statistics, the aquaculture area in Weihai City is 1.647 million mu, with a production of 3.071 million tons of aquatic products and a production value of 43.03 billion yuan.Policy advantages: In December 2022, the People’s Government of Weihai City issued the “Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the High Quality Development of Weihai Prefabricated Vegetable Industry”, promoting the development of the prefabricated vegetable industry from six aspects: building standardized raw material production bases, cultivating and strengthening prefabricated vegetable processing enterprises, supporting the development of cold chain logistics, cultivating prefabricated vegetable brands, building a food safety supervision system for prefabricated vegetables, and cultivating talents in the prefabricated vegetable industry.