CNY 0.24/kg for Chinese cabbage, CNY 0.38/kg for celery - these are just some of the super cheap prices for fresh vegetables in some supermarkets in Tianjin.
Thanks to a program called “Farm-Super Butt Joint” launched at the end of last year, the cost of transporting vegetables from farm to targeted supermarkets has decreased by about 30%. Prices in supermarkets are therefore around 10% lower than those in markets.
More than CNY 25 million has invested into this program, with an additional forty delivery vehicles. Supermarkets like Carrefour and Vanguard have set up sixty-eight specific counters in their stores for customers to select fresh, cheap vegetables.
“These vegetables are heavily marketed, especially the cucumbers, tomatoes and celeries,” a salesgirl said.
A middle-aged woman said that every kind of vegetable in the new counter is cheaper than at a market. Taking cucumbers for an example, the price is CNY 0.3 cheaper per kilo. No wonder residents living nearby are rushing to buy vegetables in the early morning!
At present, some chain supermarkets have already signed contracts with local farmers for long-term supplies of various kinds of agricultural products of more than thirty kilograms with total value of CNY 90 million.
The program uses direct selling to reduce unnecessary “middlemen” from the process. This cost-reduction method benefits farmers and customers, and also guarantees the quality of agricultural products, particularly dairy products, which must always be fresh.
