For now a major part of horticulture is being conducted in a relatively primitive manner: small (0.5 ha per family), in soil and without climate control. As far as produce is grown in greenhouses, this is mainly in plastic tunnel greenhouses in southern China and so-called "solar greenhouses” (with one thick wall for heat storage) in northern China. At national level, China is still largely self-sufficient, but this is likely to change. Causes are increasing domestic demand (population growth, increased purchasing power with rapidly growing middle class in large cities), more quality demand (food, more varieties), decreasing agricultural land (urbanization, desertification) and cultivation problems (drought, pest resistance). The Chinese government is convinced that a substantial step has to be made, both regarding quality and quantity. This will require massive investments in breeding, production technology, cultivation knowledge, biological pest control, management, logistics and marketing. Chinese companies are usually too small to make this system jump and it is mainly (partly) government financed projects which are of interest. Access by foreign firms is strongly dependent on the contacts (guanxi)
with the responsible government officials and the availability of
demonstration facilities. As background to this document: in 2008, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture commissioned surveys on the Chinese markets for vegetables, fruit and floriculture in China.

Market trends in China (1)

Surveys are available on http://nabsokunming.hollandinchina.org, under "reports".