(Invest in China) Chief Executive Officer of Louis Dreyfus North Asia: China is a "vane" for observing food consumption trends
China News Service, Beijing, January 25th. Title: Chief Executive Officer of Louis Dreyfus North Asia: China is a "weathervane" for observing food consumption trends
China News Agency reporter Li Xiaoyu
Under the epidemic, China's economy has grown stronger.
Some economists predict that the economic performance of major economies will become increasingly divergent in 2021, and China's economic growth rate may continue to lead the world.
How will this affect the investment layout and business strategies of multinational companies?
In an interview with a reporter from China News Agency recently, Chen Jiayuan, CEO of Louis Dreyfus North Asia, said that the vitality and resilience of the Chinese economy are impressive.
China is an important indicator for the company to observe future food consumption trends, and it is also the top priority of Louis Dreyfus' development strategy.
He believes that the epidemic has made people more aware of the importance of healthy eating and enhancing their immunity, and has also redefined the consumption scenarios of many commodities.
Nowadays, Chinese consumers are becoming more and more "picky" about products, and corporate competition has gradually transitioned from the previous speed of fighting to fighting for technical strength, innovation capabilities, and resource integration capabilities. This provides foreign companies with new opportunities and needs foreign companies Transform in time to achieve better development.
Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly "critical"
In Chen Jiayuan's view, the vitality and resilience of China's economy under the epidemic are impressive.
China's 1.4 billion population and growing middle-income groups constitute a huge and vibrant consumer market, which allows Louis Dreyfus to see significant development potential.
In addition, China has been committed to improving the business environment and increasing the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of foreign companies.
"At present, Louis Dreyfus has enjoyed the same treatment as Chinese domestic enterprises, which has also strengthened our confidence in continuing to invest in China." Chen Jiayuan said.
He said that now China is not only the top priority of Louis Dreyfus' development strategy, but also an important vane for the company to observe future food consumption trends.
Chen Jiayuan believes that the younger generation of Chinese consumers pay more attention to health, and also pay more attention to product sources and environmental friendliness in the production process.
Especially after the epidemic, people are more aware of the importance of healthy eating and improving their immunity.
In addition, the epidemic has redefined the household consumption scene of many commodities, and consumer decision-making is shifting from personal decision-making to tending to satisfy the needs of the whole family.
He said that in the post-epidemic era, with the enormous abundance of products and the influx of imported products, Chinese consumers have become more and more "picky" about products.
Therefore, the competition mode of enterprises has transitioned from competition speed to competition for technical strength, competition for innovation ability, and competition for resource integration ability.
For foreign companies, this provides more opportunities for development.
Plant meat market has huge potential
The rapidly changing Chinese market not only requires foreign companies to accelerate their transformation, but also brings huge opportunities.
At present, many companies are trying to launch plant meat or artificial meat products, and Louis Dreyfus is also deploying related fields.
In Chen Jiayuan's view, by 2050, the world's population may exceed the 9 billion mark, and sustainable food development and reform are imminent.
Taking into account issues such as animal welfare, environmental protection, and sustainable development, the development of plant meat is the development direction that the food industry continues to promote.
"China consumes a lot of meat every year, and Chinese consumers generally recognize healthy plant-based diets, the plant meat market has huge potential."
In addition, the China-EU investment agreement negotiations will be completed as scheduled at the end of 2020, which will also bring benefits to companies.
Chen Jiayuan said that China's agricultural cooperation with the EU has been continuously deepening in recent years. In 2020, China's total grain imports from Europe will increase by about 5 million tons compared with the previous year.
As a transnational agricultural trade and processing enterprise from Europe, the increasingly close cooperative relationship between China and Europe will benefit Louis Dreyfus.
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