In the Naan Cultural Industry Park in Urumqi, the naan master is making naan cakes.

Photo by our reporter Qiao Wenhui

  Naan is a traditional specialty food in Xinjiang. In recent years, more and more people have begun to like it.

But for a long time, the production of naan is mainly based on small workshops, which is difficult to scale.

How to make the specialty food industry bigger and stronger, so that the traditional food will have a new fragrance?

A reporter from the Economic Daily found that in recent years, Xinjiang has actively adjusted its industrial structure, “handed in” related industries, and vigorously promoted the intensive, standardization and branding of the naan industry, which gradually stimulated and released the development momentum of the naan industry.

  "No naan, no hospitality" "No naan, no home"... Naan is a favorite food of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and it is also a local business card.

For a long time, the production of Xinjiang naan was mainly based on workshops, and the overall characteristic was "small and scattered".

Why is the traditional cuisine "new fragrance"?

How to turn regional product characteristics into bright colors for industrial development?

How to transform the "potential advantage" of the industry into "significant advantage"?

To answer these questions, the changing Xinjiang naan industry is a good reference sample, which is worth exploring.

To this end, reporters from the Economic Daily traveled north and south of the Tianshan Mountains to interview and investigate the development of Xinjiang's naan industry.

  From a small workshop to a group army

  Walking into the Xinjiang Nang Cultural Town, Yining City, Xinjiang, the smell of roasted Nang is in the air.

The production and processing area, experience area and living area are planned here, with more than 40,000 naan produced daily.

In 2020, the city will integrate existing production resources and create a naan industry development system of "1 industrial park + 10 production bases + 1 block + several workshops".

  "In the past, the daily income was extremely unstable, sometimes as high as the neck, sometimes as low as the ankle." When Kurbanjan Tulahun was making a naan in the Taskerike Township Nang Industrial Park, Yining City, The mobile phone is always playing cheerful music.

He is a well-known local nang master. He used to run a nang shop with his family. After working in the industrial park in October 2020, he was dedicated to nang making, earning 7,000 yuan a month.

"It's so good now, don't worry about noodles and oil, and don't worry about selling it."

  Unlike Kurbanjan Tulahun, some masters are still operating their own nang shops, but their tastes, craftsmanship, and nang pits are also changing.

“Nankeng used to burn wood or coal in the past has a strong smell of smoke, but nowadays it burns natural gas or electricity, which is very environmentally friendly.” Reheman Bharati’s shop in Urumqi Exhibition Middle Street runs every time he arrives. It's very busy after get off work hours.

"Everyone likes to eat hot naan, old customers always buy some freshly baked naan after get off work. Don't worry about selling it, you see, these neighbors are enough for me to work." He pointed to the surrounding buildings and told reporters. .

  From a small workshop to a "group army", from rough production to new techniques, it not only realizes agglomeration production but also a flexible way of diversification. The Xinjiang naan industry has gradually moved from fragmented and small-scale operations in the past to intensive and large-scale development in the past two years. road.

  Why change?

"In the past, production was scattered and smoke was everywhere. It was neither economical nor environmentally friendly." Yang Xiaolong, chairman of Yining Nang Food Co., Ltd., believes that the expansion of the Nang industry should start with adjusting the production organization and carrying out large-scale centralized production. Ensure quality, cultivate brands, strengthen marketing and research and develop new products.

  "Intensive development is an effective measure to make the industry bigger and stronger." Turxunjiang Abula, chairman of Xinjiang Xiyu Nangwang Food Co., Ltd., told reporters that small workshops have different production standards and quality is difficult to guarantee; In production, standards such as the size of the naan pit, the baking time, and the weight dimension are unified to ensure stable product quality.

  Some people have also questioned whether the traditional small workshop-style decentralized operation facilitates the lives of the people, and whether agglomeration development will affect the convenience?

The reporter learned from interviews that the small workshop-style business form is the integration of production and sales, and the production point is also the point of sale; while large-scale production means centralized production, decentralized sales, and separation of production and sales. As long as the sales points are wide-ranging, it will not affect convenience. Sex.

What's more, scale, standardization and branding are the foundation for the growth of the naan industry, which is conducive to optimizing the allocation of production factors, forming a professional division of labor, and also conducive to products "going out" and entering the market in a group.

  From decentralization to agglomeration, the naan industry not only promoted industrial expansion, but also stimulated employment.

Urumqi Nang Cultural Industrial Park was completed and put into operation in 2018, and more than 1,000 people have been employed; the development of the Nang industry in Kashgar has promoted the employment of nearly 10,000 people; the establishment of the Nang Industrial Park in Aksu Prefecture has created more than 5,000 jobs.

Yining Tashi Kerike Township Taxiang Food Co., Ltd. produces more than 10,000 naan per day, which has solved the employment of more than 60 villagers...

  Experts said that the naan industry is a characteristic industry in Xinjiang, and it is also a potentially advantageous industry. Through a series of measures, it can become a "significant advantage" industry and grow into a pillar of Xinjiang's economy.

Agglomeration development is the only way. We must actively guide the enterprises to enter the park to increase industrial concentration.

  From small food to the whole chain

  During the interview, the reporter noticed that most of the nang industrial parks in Xinjiang are labeled with the word "culture". There are not only production and processing areas, but also cultural exhibition areas and experience areas, which can intuitively understand the history and development of nang.

"Unexpectedly, there are so many varieties of nang, so many stories." On January 10, at the Nang Cultural Industry Park in Urumqi, a citizen Qin Ruihua said with emotion.

Two years ago, the industrial park opened its doors to welcome guests and soon became a "net celebrity check-in place."

  In the process of developing the naan industry, Xinjiang pays attention to industrial integration, "hands in" related industries, expands development space, "links primary industry, bases on secondary industry, and holds hands on tertiary industry", which can not only promote planting, tourism, catering, e-commerce, logistics, etc. The development of various industries has also stimulated the development momentum of the naan industry.

  In order to expand the popularity of Xinjiang naan products and play a good industrial integration brand, Xinjiang actively carries out promotion activities.

In December 2020, the third Xinjiang Naan Industry Promotion Conference was held in Zhengzhou.

During the period, Xinjiang Nang Company and Henan Food Company had in-depth exchanges and cooperation, not only received orders, but also gained many "golden ideas" in brand marketing, characteristic packaging, and channel construction.

  Located in the Aksu area, Kuqa Naan City not only produces naan, it is also a national 3A-level tourist attraction.

According to Liu Qinghua, manager of Kuqa Da Nang City Co., Ltd., there are more than 5,000 naan daily in Da Nang City. Visitors can not only taste the naan, but also taste other local delicacies, buy special handicrafts, and watch local folk artists perform.

  Not only thinking of ways in the downstream of the industrial chain, the development of Xinjiang's naan industry also continuously promotes the quality development of the upstream chain.

Wheat is the main raw material for making naan. The development of the naan industry has forced the adjustment of the planting structure, which has promoted the quality and efficiency of wheat planting.

The Xinjiang Grain and Material Reserve Bureau supports leading enterprises in developing special flour for naan development and brand promotion. The group standard of wheat flour for naan (cake) has been promoted since 2019. At present, more than ten flour processing enterprises above designated size have produced flour Special powder for naan.

  Chen Zhijiang, deputy secretary of the Kashgar Prefectural Committee, told reporters that the Kashgar area relies on the 12-county and city Naan Industrial Park to develop a series of products such as naan, baking, and leba, with a daily output of 3.5 million naan, driving the commercialization rate of 3.2 million mu of wheat to more than 80%.

  Qitai County in Changji Prefecture is an important wheat producing area in Xinjiang. The person in charge of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of the county introduced that in recent years, the demand for special flour for naan has been increasing year by year. The processing enterprises in the county supply the market with an average of about 140 tons per month, which has greatly stimulated planting. The county’s wheat planting area has exceeded one million mu.

In Aksu area, a green standardized raw material base of 1.13 million acres has been created to ensure the high quality of naan products from the source.

  In addition to wheat, the production of raw materials such as vegetable oil, walnuts, grapes, shallots, peppers, and safflower has also been promoted.

  From homogenization to each exhibition

  Promoting industrial development focuses on highlighting characteristics.

Naan, as a specialty food in Xinjiang, bears a distinctive regional imprint, but there is also a situation of homogeneous competition.

In order to solve this problem, all parts of Xinjiang have made moves to find and strengthen their own characteristics.

  It is the choice of many places to make traditional naan new tricks.

The Kashgar area selected a professional team to analyze and investigate market demand. In addition to focusing on the development of traditional oily naan and sesame naan, it also actively develops specialty products such as rose sauce naan, spicy skin naan, and walnut naan.

The dragon fruit naan and spinach naan developed by Yining Saiwaijiang Nang Food Co., Ltd. have been loved by consumers once they were launched.

  While developing new products, some corporate R&D teams are also working hard on the appearance of the product, producing a variety of specifications of naan products, and changing the traditional extensive packaging to produce small-size, portable and convenient naan, fried naan and other snack foods and Souvenirs, etc., to meet the needs of different consumers.

  "There are stars, camels, and big boxes and small boxes. I have never thought that naan can make so many tricks before." Kader Litip, who works in the Nang Cultural Industrial Park in Urumqi, has With 15 years of experience in naan making, he said with emotion, "In recent years, there are more and more types of naan, not only delicious, but also better looking."

  Not only the "appearance" changes, the "connotation" should also be improved.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Xinjiang will promote the "going out" of naan products and expand the space for industrial development.

To achieve this goal and transform "potential advantage" into "obvious advantage", brand strategy must be implemented.

In recent years, some regions and companies have continued to exert efforts to cultivate and polish their brands.

In accordance with the method of "public brand + county and city characteristic brand", Yili Prefecture digs deep into the regional culture, highlights the development of organic naan and characteristic naan, and concentrates efforts on the regional public brand of "Ili naan", which has achieved initial results.

  Xinjiang Silk Road Source Xinjiang Naan Culture Original Ecological Industrial Park is located in Binhu Town, Changji City. Zhang Jizhong, the person in charge, discovered a change: I used to ask friends or family members what kind of naan to buy. The answer is often sesame naan, Wowo naan, Baogu. Naan and other varieties, now many people say that they want "Abula's Naan", "Jiangxiao Naan" and other branded naan.

"This is the power of the brand. We will dig deep into the cultural background of naan, and through the implementation of brand strategy, enhance product attractiveness and premium ability." Zhang Jizhong said.

  In 2020, Urumqi Nang Cultural Industrial Park cooperated with the School of Food Science and Pharmacy of Xinjiang Agricultural University to tackle the packaging anti-corrosion and anti-quality deterioration technologies of products such as skin tooth noodles, sesame noodles and milk noodles, so that the nang can still maintain the flavor when leaving Xinjiang. , And steadily enter the national market.

  "Sellable" must also "sell well", and marketing model innovation is also critical.

  In this regard, various local and naan product enterprises in Xinjiang have actively explored.

Some regions use the counterpart assistance mechanism to establish sales channels in the provinces assisted in Xinjiang, first occupy the "beachhead", and then deepen the market; some companies focus on developing e-commerce, making efforts online to open up sales channels.

Horgos and other places have also given full play to their port advantages, based on the needs of neighboring countries, and striving to open up the international market.

Yining Saiwaijiang Nang Food Co., Ltd., established in July 2020, thought of new tricks when it opened up markets in Chengdu and other places.

During the "Sichuan First International Hot Pot Festival" held in November of that year, it aimed at the blank of hot pot catering and shabu biscuits, and called "Eating hot pot with a naan", "Hot pot in love with naan" and other marketing slogans, which were welcomed by consumers.

  Nowadays, Xinjiang Naan is not only a special food, but also carries the sincere and simple emotions of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and continues to write a legend.

Not long ago, a truck loaded with 10,000 naans set off from Korla, Xinjiang to Shijiazhuang, Hebei, to support the fight against the epidemic.

I believe that this business card will derive a big industry and write a new chapter in the prosperity of the people and Xinjiang.