Nation rallies to satisfy Hubei's appetite

Henan province and Chongqing municipality, which both neighbor Hubei, have spared no effort in providing support.

By Feb 3, Henan, a major production center for biscuits, instant noodles, sausages and frozen dumplings, had donated more than 110,000 boxes of instant food to Hubei.

Wholesale markets in Henan and Chongqing are sending about 10,000 tons of vegetables to Wuhan every day, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

A wide variety of food, including rice from Jilin province, beef from Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, milk from Inner Mongolia autonomous region, seafood from Dalian, Liaoning province, and fruit from Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region are being transported to Hubei.

Since last month, supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables have been sent to the province from Guangxi－a key production area for such produce－by two weekly rail freight services.

Jiang Liansheng, head of the Department of Commerce in Guangxi, said,"We have regular discussions with our counterparts in the Hubei provincial government in order to work out the type and amount of supplies that are needed."

All agricultural produce that is transported must pass pesticide residue detection tests and be given a certificate guaranteeing quality, Jiang said.

"Fruit and vegetables are picked two days before the train leaves, in order to make sure the produce is fresh. We also insist on cold-chain transportation and ensure that all our produce can be traced."

As of March 11, the Guangxi government had sent 13 freight trains to Hubei, carrying a total of 2,600 tons of daily necessities. Some 2,500 tons of the supplies were donated by 170 companies, agricultural cooperatives and individuals from 13 cities in Guangxi.

On Feb 7, a freight train left Guilin, Guangxi, for Xianning, Hubei, carrying 200 tons of fruit and vegetables donated by local companies and agricultural cooperatives for distribution to designated hospitals and welfare organizations.

With the help of the Guilin government, it took workers just three days to gather the supplies together and to complete all the quality tests.