At the turn of the year, Zigong achieved a strong start in foreign trade within a single week: heading east, the first batch of customized rabbit-meat ready-to-cook meals departed from Shanghai Port bound for Senegal, marking their debut on overseas dining tables; heading south, 100 metric tons of 'Fushun Chunjian' citrus were self-exported to Malaysia, launching a new journey into Southeast Asia; heading west, the first return freight train fully loaded with Central Asian wheat flour arrived in Zigong, injecting fresh resources into industries in southern Sichuan. According to Chengdu Customs, Zigong's total import and export value reached RMB 6.15 billion in the first 11 months of 2025, up 15.1% year-on-year.

The first batch of customized pre-processed rabbit meat produced in Zigong

The key to Sichuan rabbits 'jumping' overseas lies in a source-level 'passport'. Through one-on-one specialized guidance, Zigong Customs facilitated system upgrades at the breeding farm of Sichuan Chengben Agriculture Co., Ltd., helping it secure the province's first registration as an 'export livestock and poultry raw material farm'. This 'passport' establishes an export-oriented quality and safety management standard that is both benchmarkable and replicable, paving the way for more agricultural products to enter international markets. Meanwhile, Fushun citrus has ended its reliance on intermediaries to 'hitch a ride overseas', achieving self-export of 100 metric tons of 'Fushun Chunjian' on December 27, 2025.

The first batch of customized pre-processed rabbit meat produced in Zigong is currently under production

'This embodies Fushun agriculture's ambition to transform from a production area into an international supply chain,' said an official from the Fushun County Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Backed by a full-chain traceability system covering over 3,000 mu of customs-registered orchards and advanced technologies such as green pest control and drone-based crop protection introduced by a team of Ph.D. researchers from Sichuan Agricultural University, the dual drivers of 'technology plus standards' have equipped the region with solid capabilities for independent exports.

Workers are packing the 'Fushun Chunjian' citrus before its self-operated export of 100 metric tons to Malaysia

On January 3, a return freight train carrying approximately 1,642 metric tons of feed-grade wheat flour departed from Kapchagay, Kazakhstan, and arrived at Zigong South Railway Station after an 11-day journey. This marked the first time the Southwest (Zigong) International Land Port connected to the Central Asia rail network, establishing Zigong's inaugural return route from Central Asia.

Zigong is now planning for the upcoming '15th Five-Year Plan' period, aiming to expand and upgrade its foreign trade, actively integrate into the Western Land-Sea New Passage, develop a southern-bound rail consolidation hub, and extend its China-Europe (Central Asia) rail routes. 'Opening this return route means we can not only send 'Made in Zigong' products abroad but also bring in high-quality resources from Europe and Asia,' said Xu Cheng of Zigong Chuangfa Construction Company. Bao Xuming from the Zigong Municipal Bureau of Commerce envisions a new reverse logistics landscape: 'In the past, 'Made in Zigong' goods had to be routed through Chongqing or coastal ports to reach overseas markets.

Feed-grade wheat flour was loaded onto railcars in Kazakhstan

Now, direct rail services make 'consolidated in Zigong, direct to Central Asia' a reality'. Xu hopes to turn this 'first train' into a 'monthly service', while buyer Zhang Hui plans to build a feed processing plant in Zigong to convert Central Asian wheat and barley, along with cassava chips from Southeast Asia, into local raw materials—realizing both 'industrial localization' and 'cost reduction'.

On January 3, a return freight train departing from Kapchagay, Kazakhstan, arrived smoothly at Zigong South Station after an 11-day journey

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】