On June 26th, 2025, the Nanchong, Sichuan Organic Industry Innovation and Development Conference opened in Xichong County. Hundreds of delegates participated, including representatives from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM - ASIA) from Germany, India, South Korea and other countries, experts from institutions like the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), along with representatives from organic enterprises and certification bodies nationwide. The conference convened under the theme "Organic: The Better Choice" to explore the future of the industry.

The Sites [Photo by Li Xinyi]

During the event, organizers presented the "Global Top Ten Exemplary Cases in Organic Agriculture," where "Xichong, China - Whole-Region Organic Demonstration Zone" was successfully included. They released the Group Quality Standard for Xichong Organic Yellow-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes and premiered the Xichong promotional film "Organic, Where Life Flourishes." The conference also held ceremonies including the unveiling of the Technology Demonstration Base for Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, the launch of the Western China (Nanchong) Organic Agricultural Products E-commerce Livestreaming Base, and a contract-signing ceremony with supply chain enterprises.

The Unveiling Sites [Photo by Li Xinyi]

Since establishing its connection with organic agriculture in 2003 and initiating the "China's Western Organic Food Base County" project in 2008, Xichong has consistently pursued development emphasizing scale, standardization, and branding. The county deeply implements the new development philosophy focusing on innovation, coordination, environmental sustainability, openness, and sharing. Guided by its strategic goal "Eco-Farmland · Organic Xichong," the county is accelerating the establishment of a "Whole-Region Organic Demonstration Zone" that features an organic industry system led by organic grain and oil crops, organic sweet potatoes, organic citrus, and organic fragrant peaches. Xichong has now developed 280,000 mu (approximately 18,667 hectares) of large-scale organic agricultural production bases, with 170,000 mu (approximately 11,333 hectares) encompassing 110 varieties receiving organic certification. This progress supports a comprehensive full-chain industrial system integrating policy support, ecological conservation, industrial development, quality and safety assurance, and market distribution. These achievements have earned Xichong numerous national honors including being named among the first National Organic Product Certification Demonstration Counties, a National Demonstration County for Organic Food Production Base Construction, and a National Agricultural Product Quality and Safety County. Xichong stands as a benchmark model in China's organic agriculture development landscape. (By Jiang Zhuolin)