Twenty years of cold chain

When we see a bright, fresh vegetable at the market, few people think about where it came from, and of course, that's not important in the context of life. But if you're willing to look, you'll see that the journey of a vegetable is often fraught with difficulties.

The path of vegetables is sometimes like that of people; sometimes it is dark and gloomy, and they cannot move forward an inch; other times the path is smooth and easy, and they can travel thousands of miles without any problem.

In the future, green channels will be fully implemented across the country, and people will see many rectangular signs with green backgrounds and white lettering indicating green channels on national highways and expressways. However, at present, it is still a very new term.

Although our country began establishing green channels as early as 95, today we face a situation where "single-line mileage is long, but there is no comprehensive regional network." We have four green channels for vegetable transportation, totaling 1.1 kilometers, from Beijing to Hainan and from Hainan to Shanghai, but in terms of local areas and even east-west connectivity, we are still far from having a complete network.

Based on the keen intuition of industry professionals like Hu Shutong, after the release of the "Opinions on the Development of Modern Logistics," the next policy direction will definitely be transportation. Modern logistics requires a modern road network, and the improvement of green channels is imperative. This will solve the problems of "going out" and "getting running" from the source.

Therefore, as early as November last year, Hu Shutong had already begun to work on this. Qingyan City should have followed the example of other provinces and cities, combined with its own regional characteristics to develop a green channel plan, improve its own system, and connect with other parts of the province and the country to truly implement this guarantee route.

He had brought it up many times, but had not received a clear response. Lei Xiaoxi was also trying her best to facilitate it, but the complicated process of building the green channel made it difficult for things to move forward.

But this time, with the introduction of the policy, the situation is completely different, because the construction of the green channel has become a task that all provinces and cities have to promote. This makes Hu Shutong's plan a ready-made report. If all goes well, all that remains is a feasibility study, which means that an existing template has been provided for the Qingyan City Green Channel Working Group.

What is a green channel?

Its purpose is to support the rapid, smooth, and low-cost circulation of fresh agricultural products, thereby promoting urban-rural integration and increasing farmers' income. For compliant transportation companies, the green channel is a smooth road to prosperity. Firstly, it exempts legally loaded and compliant vehicles from toll fees. Secondly, after obtaining a green channel pass, agricultural product vehicles can pass through dedicated intersections without being stopped.

Fresh vegetables, fruits, aquatic products, meat, eggs, and dairy products all fall under the scope of the green channel, while processed products of these categories, as well as seedlings and grains, are excluded. The green channel will significantly reduce the time agricultural products spend en route, which is crucial for preserving fresh produce, especially goods traveling hundreds or thousands of kilometers. The implementation of this policy is a powerful boost to modern logistics.

However, not all roads can become green channels. Some roads lack the necessary infrastructure to support green channels, and the surrounding infrastructure for some roads is insufficient to support such a large investment.

Its construction is a complex issue, requiring consideration of the flow and direction of fresh agricultural products along the national highway, the scale of toll stations along the highway, and connectivity with surrounding cities. According to the notification's implementation requirements, a preliminary investigation must be conducted by the end of March, followed by implementation, with inspection and acceptance no later than the end of the year. Time is tight and the task is heavy; its development will not be easy.

However, the practicality of Hu Shutong's plan, as presented at the report meeting, drew considerable attention.

If Luan Pingxin were present, she would have noticed that the image projected in the meeting was the result of her driving "without asking about the future" last year, and the sections highlighted in red were actually decided by Hu Shutong in the car.

Hu Shutong is no longer just a college student; now he is more of a private business owner. When a business owner gives a report about the smooth operation of his business, it lacks a certain degree of persuasiveness.

All the leaders present knew that Songyuan, Pingqiu, Hongcheng, Qingxiu, and Xudian were Tongxing's stronghold. But what was surprising was that Tongxing only touched upon Hu Shutong's plan at best, and the only part that Tongxing could use was the road from Xudian to Qingyan City.

In his report, Pingqiu connects to Qingmao, and Hongcheng connects to Qingyue, with four toll stations on each side, all of which meet the qualifications for dedicated road intersections required by the notice. Hu Shutong has no right to speak on transportation matters, but the combination of road network with production areas and production areas connecting to flow routes makes his plan very convincing.

For a moment, everyone present felt they needed to digest this information. Unlike Hu Shutong's long preparation, this was a completely new task for each region. What Hu Shutong said sounded very feasible, but it still needed concrete on-site verification. However, after Hu Shutong's explanation, the purpose became clearer: improving the circulation environment and promoting circulation efficiency are the inevitable missions of the green channel.

Not all roads are green channels, and not all vehicles can use them; the checks here are extremely strict.

Lei Xiaoxi was very satisfied with Hu Shutong's report and promised that once the green channel was implemented, Tongxing's vehicles would be the first to receive green channel permits and would also enjoy a series of exemptions and reductions associated with the green channel.

But this clearly wouldn't satisfy Hu Shutong. The bigger picture is one thing, but he knows best how much he himself has suffered. In any case, this is still a considerable contribution.

Therefore, after the meeting, Hu Shutong only wanted to ask Lei Xiaoxi one question—

"Director Lei, it's been four months. How much longer do I have to wait for my fuel subsidy?"

If this succeeds, Tongxing will truly have wings!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.