The State Council approved a development plan for cold-chain logistics spanning the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to a circular issued by the General Office of the State Council on Dec 12.

The circular urged establishing a green and smart cold-chain logistics system with safety and efficiency while boosting the quality of logistics services based on China’s national conditions, including production, circulation and consumption of cold-chain products.

To address major choke points hindering the development of cold-chain logistics, efforts should be made to shore up weak links in infrastructure, ease delivery routes, improve cold-chain technologies and equipment, and enhance oversight mechanisms, the circular said.

Infrastructure involves smart sorting equipment, logistics robots and temperature monitors, among others, while cold-chain technologies and equipment cover big data, 5G, artificial intelligence and other smart technologies.

Smooth cold-chain logistics should reduce loss of packaged agricultural products and food and ensure the safety of food and pharmaceutical products in transportation, to increase the supply of high-quality products and raise living standards for urban and rural residents, it added.

By 2025, the goal is to have a cold-chain logistics network that navigates between production and sales, covering both cities and rural areas in China while connecting it to the international market. By then, the cold-chain logistics system will suit the needs of economic and social development, with marked improvements in adjusting cross-seasonal supply and demand of agricultural products and delivering cold-chain products across regions, the circular said.