Live streaming boosts farm produce sales

When Hangzhou Women’s Federation visited Dayang Town in Jiande County in late February, officials found that around 900 tons of mandarin oranges were difficult to sell because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

To help local farmers with their produce, the federation launched online sales on Taobao Live, a popular streaming platform.

So far, the federation has held six sales promotions, resulting in online sales of 865 tons of Dayang’s mandarin oranges.

Produce from Tonglu, Jiande, Chun’an and Lin’an counties and Fuyang District have also been featured with sales worth 4 million yuan (US$ 563,500) in just nine days.

The federation has established a department to direct livestream projects, inviting industry insiders and Internet celebrities to train women farmers.

“We hope more Internet celebrities will join the federation’s livestream activities. That is our responsibility to give a boost to public service projects, especially those related with women and children,” said Zhang Dayi, who has 11.72 million followers on social media.

Hangzhou is at the forefront of the digital economy in China, and the federation is cashing in on the trend in the hope of relieving the pressure on farmers.

In Chun’an County, every village has picked two to three candidates for training, with priority given to women who run farms and guesthouse. Around 90 women have attended classes.

The federation’s first livestream on March 11 sold out 40 tons of produce worth 400,000 yuan.

On March 16, a livestream in Tonglu County attracted 4,300 visitors. Local officials acted as vendors to sell the produce online.

“Bamboo shoots from Hecun Town are quite juicy. They are mouthwatering if fried with other ingredients,” Chen Weiqin, the vice director, told the audience about one special product during the one-hour show.

After it ended, some 400 kilograms of bamboo shoots, 161 packs of dried sweet potatoes, 129 bags of local vegetables and 122 freshly caught fish were on their way to customers nationwide.