Livestreams on wheat fields facilitate sales of agricultural products in E China's Zhejiang

During the recently concluded May Day holiday, farmer Ye Xiuluan hosted daily livestreams in the afternoon to sell freshly harvested wheat and specialty agricultural products from the fields in Mayu township, Rui'an city, east China's Zhejiang Province.

Ye Xiuluan hosts a livestream on a wheat field in Mayu township, Rui'an city, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo/Lin Xiao)

Ye, formerly a livestream viewer, never expected to become a livestream host herself. Her cellphone became a novel farming tool.

On the other side of the wheat field, Xie Chenhuan, a 49-year-old livestream host, was also conducting one. Despite starting her journey in livestreams in 2022, she now manages three livestream accounts.

Xie Chenhuan promotes wheat during a livestream from a wheat field in Mayu township, Rui'an city, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

There are 22 full-time livestream hosts at an agricultural entrepreneurial service platform in Mayu township.

Photo shows a golden sea of wheat fields in Mayu township, Rui'an city, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo/Su Lisuo)

The Tianjingyang area in Mayu township spans an area of nearly 30,000 mu (2,000 hectares) and has an annual grain production capacity of 30,000 tonnes.

Zhuang Wenya, head of the agricultural entrepreneurial service platform in Mayu township, said that her team has been exploring strategies that can boost the sales of agricultural products and transform more items into popular choices, which have been expanding their reach in the market.

In early April, a wheat farmer from the Tianjingyang area approached Zhuang for help in expanding the sales channels for wheat and enhancing the industrial chain.

After thorough planning, Zhuang and her team developed an assistance plan that involved incorporating livestreams, group buying on e-commerce platforms, and facilitating direct delivery of the products from their place of origin.

"We have a skilled team with extensive experience in livestream hosting. During the wheat harvest, we initiated a livestream on April 20. Our hosts have been taking turns conducting livestreams for over 10 days," said Zhuang.

A livestream host promotes agricultural products on a wheat field in Mayu township, Rui'an city, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo/Lin Xiao)

Zhuang emphasized the insufficiency of relying solely on offline promotions to reach a wide audience. She said that livestreams on cellphones expand the online sales channels for agricultural products.

During livestreams, villagers have the opportunity to showcase their agricultural products, establish connections with consumers, and build long-lasting trust, ultimately leading to increased orders.

This not only enhances the reputation of local specialty agricultural products but also stimulates cultural and tourism consumption in the area.

Records show that during the May Day holiday, Tianjingyang recorded nearly 10,000 tourist visits daily. Through livestreams, the service platform boosted the sales of local wheat by nearly 20,000 kilograms, and generated sales revenue of almost 400,000 yuan ($55,364) for agricultural specialty products.