China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native Produce (CFNA) was established in September 1988.
Coordinating, guiding, promoting, consulting are its objectives, CFNFA works in the following business areas:
CFNA has approximately 5,000 member companies, among which 19 are honorary vice presidents, 55 are members of the executive standing committee, and 163 are members of the executive committee. Its membership, covering all parts of China, is composed of the largest and most representative companies and a large number of small and medium sized enterprises. The chamber of commerce has set up 42 chambers of commodities, all of which have a nation-wide membership.
The product line of CFNA members involve all agricultural, forestry, food and farm products such as cereal, oil, oil seed, fresh and dried vegetable and fruit, poultry, meat, seafood, dairy, wine, beverage, tea, canned food, candy, bee products, edible fungus, wood, forest chemical, essential oil, fragrant, flower, candle, firework, cashmere, down and feather, fur, leather, bristle, casing, rug, carpet, rabbit hair and etc.
The members are composed of domestic and international market oriented companies. They can also be categorized as growing, farming and processing enterprises, science institutes, and agricultural associations at local levels. In terms of ownership, CFNA’s membership includes state owned, foreign invested and private companies, as well as some international members. The members of CFNA represent the status and power of China’s agricultural, forestry, food and farm industry as a whole.
CFNA has 12 departments, an International Agricultural Trade magazine, and Beijing Jinsui Exhibition Center. Our staffs are good at economics and foreign languages. They have good knowledge of the commodities, the market and the industry. They also have close relationship with the government and member companies. They devote themselves to promoting the production and trade of member companies.
Business Activities
Website and E-commerce - The China Agro-forestry Trade Website (www.agriffchina.com) provides trade and industry information. It is also an e-commerce website with considerable popularity both in China and abroad. Their website is linked with the websites of CFNA members and also with some partner international organizations of agricultural sector.
Information and Consultancy Service - It is one of CFNA’s basic functions to provide information and consultancy service to its members and their overseas business partners. CFNA has many sources of information purchasing, collecting and exchanging about agricultural products in production, supply, demand, trade regulations and statistics both in China and abroad.
Trade Fair and Exhibition Service – to promote the export and import of agricultural products, CFNA organizes or participates in various trade fairs and exhibitions in China and abroad. Every year CFNA organizes a number of specialized exhibitions in China, such as SNACKEX, Guangzhou Food Exhibition, China International Tea & Coffee Exhibition, etc.
Training and Seminar - CFNA and its affiliated chambers of commodity provide training to its members through seminars, training courses on topics such as farming skill, processing, national and overseas standards, domestic and overseas laws and regulations on agricultural trade, inspection, certification, quality control and marketing.
Legal Service - The CFNA Legal Service Department has a team of professionals. They have close relations with top Chinese and overseas law firms. CFNA provides its affiliated chambers of commodity and member companies with various legal services such as organizing response to anti-dumping charges, helping the companies select acting lawyers, providing legal consultancy, training, investigation of clients’ credit, etc.
Strive for World Free Trade – CFNA favors world free agricultural trade. While promoting China’s export of agricultural products, CFNA has been cooperating with industry and trade associations of foreign countries to promote foreign agricultural products in the Chinese market.
Building Food Safety System - Standard system, certification system and inspection system are of great importance to ensure food safety and quality, and to improve the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural products. CFNA and its affiliated chambers have devoted themselves to building these three systems in cooperation with relevant government bodies and scientific institutions.
Promoting Export-oriented Agriculture - CFNA and its affiliated chambers attach great importance to the co-operation with provincial governments, especially those of China’s less developed provinces in central and western regions to develop export-oriented agriculture. Every year CFNA organizes many seminars, trainings, trade fairs and exhibitions at local level and holds meetings for local producers, farmers and exporters with overseas importers and scientific experts to help the farmers and companies to adjust agricultural structure and to develop export-oriented agriculture.
Bridge the Industry and the Government - Due to its high representativeness of the Chinese agricultural trade, CFNA has broad connection with and influence on relevant Chinese government bodies. CFNA and its affiliated chambers of commodity serve as the voice of its member companies and the industry. They regularly and timely pass forward the requirement and difficulties of the industry and its members, and offer suggestions and advice to the government.
Global Cooperation and Trade Promotion - It is one of the major functions of CFNA to establish and promote the cooperation between agricultural industries of China and foreign countries. CFNA has established cooperative relations with more than 400 chambers of commerce and industry as well as trade associations from around 50 countries and regions. The cooperation includes the exchange of information about the market, trade regulations and customers, website connection, staff training, delegation exchange, market promotion, co-hosting seminars, participating in each other’s trade fairs and exhibitions.
Brand Strategy - Brand strategy is of utmost importance for China’s agricultural business. It can help upgrade China’s agricultural sector, ensure food safety and expand the world market. However, this is the weak point of China’s agricultural business, as the majority of SMEs cannot afford the high cost of brand developing.
Serving SMEs - The majority of China’s agricultural companies are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which do not have the right channel and the ability to obtain market information or to find reliable foreign business partners. They are also weak in developing high quality products and are not good at international marketing. In this regard, CFNA assists them in terms of product quality and marketing. CFNA and its affiliated chambers of commodity provide their member companies with various services including industry and market information, foreign buyers and sellers’ recommendation, trade regulation information, and assisting SMEs to participate in trade fairs and exhibitions in China and abroad.
