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On June 29th, the Chinese and foreign inspection teams of the 6th China-Africa Rice Value Chain Cooperation Seminar visited the Shatang’an Warehouse of the Industrial Group’s Grain Purchase and Sale Co., Ltd. They observed the modern and intelligent warehousing facilities and the complete green grain storage operation model. This standardized grain warehouse, rooted in the Liushi Wairizi Town industrial cluster, showcased China’s modern rice storage practice achievements through its well-developed rice storage system and mature grain-saving and loss-reduction technologies. It provided a Liushi model for in-depth cooperation in the China-Africa rice value chain.
- Outstanding geographical advantages, connecting key nodes of the entire industrial chain
Shatang’an Warehouse is located in the core area of the Shatang’an Grain Industry Park in Huifeng Town, Lishui District. It is close to the Shatang Exit of the Ning-Shan Expressway, with efficient and convenient transportation and logistics. Upstream, it is linked to a 10,000-acre high-quality rice planting base and the large-scale rice fields of the Weliang Town Rice Village. Downstream, it connects with over 10 rice processing enterprises in the Shatang’an Grain Industry Park, forming a “production – purchase – storage – processing – sales” five-link closed rice value chain.
As a key state-owned grain storage and receiving base in Lishui District, Shatang’an Warehouse is responsible for the storage of wheat and rice in Lishui District, as well as the core function of ensuring the supply of emergency ready-to-eat grains for Nanjing. It is equipped with high-standard original grain large-pole barns, emergency low-temperature storage warehouses for ready-to-eat grains, drying centers, and quality inspection centers. The overall storage capacity is sufficient, making it an important rice distribution and storage hub in the southern part of Nanjing. It is also an indispensable storage support unit for the high-quality rice industrial park in Hefeng. The warehouse area is linked with over 10 rice processing entities, and the annual transfer and storage scale of rice ranks among the top in the city. It continuously contributes to the stable output of raw materials for brands like “Qinhuai Pearl” and other rice products.
- Smart and green grain storage, unlocking the preservation of grains with “black technology”
Entering the storage area, the traditional manual warehouse inspection mode has long become a thing of the past. The entire digital smart grain storage system has achieved full-process control. Electronic temperature measurement cables are densely installed inside the warehouse, which collect real-time data on the temperature and humidity of the grain pile. The central control screen dynamically visualizes and displays the grain conditions of all warehouses. In addition, ground cage mechanical ventilation, circulating fumigation, and complete sets of equipment for quasi-low-temperature sealed grain storage are also provided. The “low temperature, low oxygen, and low chemical agent” green storage technology is fully implemented, significantly reducing the use of chemical agents, effectively delaying the deterioration of rice quality, keeping the storage loss at an industry low level, and truly achieving grain conservation and loss reduction.
The project has established a provincial-level standardized grain quality inspection laboratory in the reservoir area. When rice is stored, all indicators such as moisture content, germ extraction rate, impurities, and heavy metals are automatically tested. Any raw grains that fail the inspection are strictly prohibited from being stored. Mechanized loading and unloading, automatic sampling, and intelligent weighing integrated operations have been implemented, replacing manual handling and significantly improving the storage efficiency. At the same time, green supporting facilities such as photovoltaic energy conservation and warehouse insulation and sealing renovations have been provided to reduce storage energy consumption and explore a new path of low-carbon and sustainable grain storage. This provides a reference technical solution for addressing the problem of grain loss in African grain storage.
- Serving agriculture and rural areas to ensure supply, and establishing a solid foundation for regional food security
Shatang’an Warehouse fully leverages its role as the main channel of state-owned grain storage. It regularly implements the “Five-Generation Service” – cleaning on behalf of farmers, drying on behalf of farmers, storage on behalf of farmers, processing on behalf of farmers, and selling on behalf of farmers, helping surrounding farmers solve problems such as difficulties in drying grain, storing grain, and selling grain. During the summer grain purchase season, it openly purchases high-quality local wheat. In the autumn, it openly purchases local indica rice and high-quality japonica rice, and implements preferential purchase prices to stabilize farmers’ income from grain cultivation. It regularly undertakes the storage tasks of municipal and district-level reserve grains, and is equipped with the province’s leading emergency cold storage for finished grains. The stored finished grains can ensure the food supply for the entire Lishui area for more than nine months, strengthening the regional emergency food supply guarantee barrier.
The reservoir area has established standardized warehouse management regulations, implemented regular safety inspections of the grain warehouses, and established a refined management mechanism for the rotation of stored grains. Professional storage teams hold certificates for their positions. The warehouse management is highly standardized and has reached the forefront among similar reservoir sites in Nanjing. It has also received multiple visits and observations from the provincial and municipal grain systems for research and inspection.
- Establish communication channels and empower cooperation between China and Africa in the rice industry
During the inspection, the deputy head of the industrial group gave detailed explanations to the Chinese and foreign guests about China’s rice storage standards, practical green storage techniques, and the collaborative operation model of the industrial chain. He also demonstrated the operation process of the intelligent grain condition monitoring system on-site and shared China’s practical experiences in reducing grain losses, ensuring reserve supply, and providing support for small-scale farmers.
The guests from African countries focused on asking questions related to low-cost green grain storage, centralized storage in small production areas, and the implementation of post-harvest loss reduction technologies. The operation cases of the storage area provided a practical reference for African rice-producing areas to solve storage shortcomings and improve their local rice production chain. The Shatang’an storage facility built a physical and real scenario window for the exchange of grain technology between China and Africa, promoting the dissemination of China’s mature grain storage experience and rice production chain models to Africa, contributing to global food security governance and deepening practical agricultural cooperation between China and Africa.
Taking Shatang’an Warehouse as an example, Lishui fully demonstrates the modern rice industry system that goes from the fields as grain storage facilities to processing workshops. In the future, the Industrial Group Grain Purchase and Sale Co., Ltd. will continue to upgrade intelligent warehousing facilities, deepen the iteration of green grain storage technologies, and at the same time, based on the China-Africa rice exchange platform, continuously share China’s grain storage practical experience. With a single grain and a grain storage facility as the bond, it will continuously expand new paths for the cooperation of the global rice value chain, jointly safeguarding global food security.
