SWOT Analysis and the Development Strategy of Goji Berry Industry in Ningxia

Zhang Junning ,Zhao Jie

(1.Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,Beijing 100020;2.Institute of Medical Information,Peking Union Medical College Hospital,Beijing 100010)

Abstract:Based on the description of the current situation of the goji berry industry in Ningxia,this paper analyzes its internal advantages,disadvantages,opportunities and threats using SWOT analysis method,and chooses WO strategy to give the corresponding development strategy for the development of the goji berry industry in Ningxia,so as to better publicize and promote the brand of Ningxia goji berry,promote the better and faster development of the whole goji berry industry in Ningxia,perfect the integrated structure of production,processing and sales of the goji berry industry,and improve the popularity of the goji berry industry in Ningxia.

Keywords: goji berry SWOT strategy

As the“Number One Industry in the World”in Ningxia,Ningxia's goji berry industry has developed the largest goji berry production base as well as the largest and professional wholesale market for goji berry.The export of Ningxia's goji berry products accounts for more than 60%of that around the country.Besides its well-known health-preserving value, goji berry also has die to therapy value,medical care value and pharmacological effect,which many people do not know.Through the introduction of this article, people can improve their understanding of various values of goji berry and understanding of the goji berry industry in Ningxia.There is no doubt that the rapid development is accompanied by many problems worthy of exploration and consideration.As far as the internal and external environment for the development of Ningxia goji berry industry is concerned, the advantages,disadvantages,opportunities and threats are obvious.In short,judging from the laws of resource support,market capacity and industrial progress,Ningxia goji berry industry has now completed the primary expansion stage of industrial development and entered the intermediate connotation development stage.It is necessary to adjust the guiding ideology of development stage by stage so as to meet better and faster industrial development.

Ⅰ.Status Quo of Goji Berry Industry in Ningxia

In recent years,goji berry industry has been taken as a strategic pillar industry in Ningxia,and it has been given significant policy and financial support.Especially,the natural resources of the goji berry industry have worked to their advantage,and effective measures have been taken to develop the goji berry industry in goji berry production base.At present,the planting area of goji berry in Ningxia is about 900,000 mu,accounting for 30%of that around the country.Zhongning County,Ningxia,has become the largest production area of goji berry in the country and the goji berry from this area is the only breed of national geographical indication products of China.More than 100 processing and sales enterprises for goji berry have established,and 40 kinds of goji berry wine,fruit juice,tea and other products in 10 categories,with the trademarks of Shengqile, Ningxiahong and Zaokang, have been developed.The processing of goji berry has reached a conversion rate of 15%of the original fruits.

（i）Planting Area Situation

With the promulgation of a series of preferential policies in the agricultural industry and the increasing attention to health and wellness,goji berry has gradually been paid more attention to.More and more farmers in Ningxia began to plant and produce goji berry,which has led to the rapid expansion of the planting area of goji berry in Ningxia.From 2000 to 2016,the planting area of goji berry in Ningxia expanded from 72.2 million m2to 639.3 million m2,an increase of 8.85 times,accounting for 30%and 38.5%of the whole country respectively.

Figure 1 Changes of Goji Berry Planting Area in Ningxia from 2000 to 2016

（ii）Production Situation

Due to the rapid expansion of goji berry planting area,the output of goji berry in Ningxia also shows a good trend of increasing year by year.From 2000 to 2016,the total output of dried goji berry in Ningxia increased from 6,500 t to 147,400 t,an increase of 22.68 times,accounting for 23.5%and 56.9%of the national total respectively.

Figure 2 Changes of Goji Berry Output in Ningxia from 2000 to 2014

（iii）Sales Situation

In Ningxia,there are over 10,000 professional goji berry marketing personnel,and 72 enterprises which sells more than 100tons of dried goji berry fruit each year,forming a goji berry marketing system based on the professional goji berry market,with store sales as the mainstay and large supermarkets as the leader.In addition to traditional stores,online stores selling Ningxia goji berry have already been set up on Taobao,Tmall,Jingdong and other websites,as well as on social platforms such as QQ and WeChat.The number of online stores has increased rapidlyand the sales results are remarkable.

Table 1 Number of Online Stores Selling Goji Berry from Zhongning County

According to the above chart data,in recent ten years,the planting area of goji berry in Ningxia has been steadily expanding,and with the expansion of the planting area,the output of goji berry has also shown a stable growth pattern.With the deepening and penetration of the Internet in people's daily life,the sales situation of Ningxia goji berry is very optimistic with a rapid growth of export volume and export volume,which is not only very favorable for the brand construction of Ningxia goji berry,but also lays a good foundation for the further development of goji berry industry in Ningxia.

Ⅱ.An Analysis of the Development of the Goji Berry Industry in Ningxia Based on SWOT Analytical Method

（i）An Introduction to SWOT Analytical Method

（ii）Strengths Analysis of the Goji Berry Industry in Ningxia

1.Superior Natural Resources and Environment

The superior natural conditions for planting goji berry in Ningxia can be considered as the following:the production base is located in the plain with large daily temperature difference and sufficient sunshine,which is conducive to sugar accumulation of goji berry,and alkaline soil there is suitable for goji berry growth and can be irrigated by Yellow River water.As we all know, goji berry in China is mainly distributed in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang,Qinghai,Gansu and other places.See Table 2 for the comparison of natural conditions in the goji berry planting areas in Ningxia, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.

Table 2 Comparison of Natural Conditions in Three Major Goji Berry Producing Areas in China

As shown in the above table,the data of light,temperature,precipitation and irrigation water show that Ningxia is the best place to plant goji berry.

2.Market Coverage of Gradual Expanding

Ningxia goji berry has occupied more than 50%of the Chinese goji berry market in terms of both planting area and yield,with absolute competitive advantage.According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia,only the goji berry planted in Ningxia can be used as prescribed medicine,which also shows that Ningxia goji berry is superior in efficacy and has great tonic and medicinal value.The establishment of Ningxia Goji Berry Research Institute and high-quality goji berry seedling bases in other major production bases,and the promotion of advanced breeding technologies have eliminated the backwardness of traditional breeding methods.At the same time, actively promoting solar drying and hot air drying technologies effectively improved the quality of goji berry products and raised safety and health standards,so as to better protect Ningxia goji berry brand reputation[2].These operations has enabled Ningxia goji berry to quickly occupy more than half of the domestic goji berry market, and its sales performance has improved significantly.

3.Broad Industrial Distribution

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At present,more than 100 goji berry planting parks of large,medium and small scales,the largest of which is over 10,000 mu,have been established in Ningxia,and a goji berry production industrial zone,with Zhongning County as the core planting area and Yinbei irrigation area and Qingshui river basin as the two wings, has initially formed.In recent years,through persistent efforts,goji berry product brands such as“Ningxiahong”,“Qiwang”,“Qinong”and“Zaokang”have been created, among which the brand of“Ningxiahong”has become a household name at home and abroad.The cultivation and promotion of goji berry product brand has played a positive role in promoting the development of Chinese goji berry industry.At the same time,pay attention to the protection of the brand“Ningxia goji berry”,register and use the“Zhongninggoji berry,Ningxia”certification mark to protect geographical indications.

（iii）Internal Weaknesses Analysis of Ningxia Goji Berry Industry

1.Lack of Outward Promotion

Ningxia is located in western China, an underdeveloped region,so its economy is relatively backward and its manpower,material resources and financial resources are relatively scarce.There is especially a shortage of talents with brand promotion experience and product marketing strategy[3].This problem is even more prominent when Ningxia goji berry gradually occupies the domestic market and has made remarkable achievements in the international market, which directly leads to the blocking of foreign exchange transactions and greatly limits the strategic goal of Ningxia goji berry to fully enter the international market.

2.Inadequate Marketing Channels and Methods

At present, the increasing openness of the international market has enabled Ningxia goji berry to rapidly cover the domestic market,and at the same time has made unprecedented breakthroughs in the international market.What is not commensurate with the fierce market competition is the extreme shortage of professionals for goji berry international marketing,which directly leads to the weakness of foreign marketing and the sluggish development of goji berry import and export trade, further affecting the publicity and market share of Ningxia's goji berry industry and the investment of foreign companies in the goji berry industry in Ningxia.Technical service is not perfect where service lags behind,and the combination of high technology and high value-added products is not enough.The drying and storage technology of goji berry cannot keep pace with the development of industry.The traditional manual picking method has raised the production cost and severely restricted the utilization of labor resources.

3.Non-standard Processing and Operation Process

There are still some irregularities in the operation of goji berry industry,mainly including inefficient primary processing and serious economic losses,especially in the picking and drying process of goji berry.At present,picking goji berry in Ningxia is still mainly manual,with low efficiency.The vast majority of farmers still choose the usual natural drying method to dry the picked goji berry,which is extremely inefficient.Once there is continuous rainy weather,goji berry is prone to mildew,decay and other conditions.In the long run,it will inevitably bring serious economic losses.

（iv）Opportunities Analysis of Ningxia Goji Berry Industry

1.Significant Support from Policies

In recent years,the development of Ningxia's goji berry industry has been paid attention by the central government.Not only many “ green channels”have been opened one after another,but also many supporting policies have been given to the goji berry industry in Ningxia[4].Scientific research institutes at all levels have increased the intensity of scientific research and made a series of achievements, especially in the production and processing of goji berry.A large number of processing enterprises using goji berry as raw materials such as“Ningxiahong”and“Bairuiyuan”have sprung up rapidly,and various products have been introduced one after another,meeting the needs of different consumers to a great extent.

2.Rise of Internet Mode

The rise of Internet Plus Mode has brought new opportunities for the development of Chinese goji berry industry,and the sales mode of Chinese goji berry has gradually shifted from offline to online.As a result, a large number of Chinese goji berry products are sold to all parts of the country through online channels and even exported abroad.Publicity through Internet channels has greatly improved the brand effect and popularity of goji berry products[5].The increasing prosperity of goji berry export market in Ningxia and the gradual highlighting of the trend of product diversification all indicate that Ningxia's goji berry industry is in the process of actively exploring foreign markets,and the goji berry industry in Ningxia has a very broad development prospect.

（v）Threats Analysis of the Goji Berry Industry in Ningxia

1.Counterfeit Goji Berry out of Ningxia Affects Brand Reputation of Ningxia Goji Berry

Ningxia goji berry brand has gained a worldwide reputation,is favored by consumers at home and abroad,has a large market coverage rate,and also shows a significant leading role in price.The common trick of some illegal merchants is to use inferior goji berry to impersonate Ningxia goji berry and seek benefits from it.However,there is a big gap between the production and processing process,nutritional ingredients,etc.of counterfeit goji berry and the standard goji berry of high-quality in Ningxia,which undoubtedly has a certain negative impact on the good brand image of Ningxia goji berry,and at the same time,weakens the influence of it to a certain extent.

2.Goji Berry Export Restricted by Green Trade Barriers

At present,Ningxia goji berry has gradually entered the international market.In order to restrict or prohibit the import and export trade of Ningxia goji berry,many countries such as Japan,the United States and the European Union are adopting a series of technical requirements, health quarantine,commodity packaging and labeling standards that exceed internationally recognized standards.The implementation of Japan's“List System of Pesticide Residues in Food”,the implementation of the US import license system and the implementation of the health food production qualification certification system are all aimed at restricting and managing the import and export of Ningxia goji berry[6].In addition,many countries have successively raised the testing standards for food materials,among which goji berry products are listed.Thus,the existence of green trade barriers in the international market has brought great adverse effects on the development of Ningxia goji berry and even Chinese goji berry industry scale.

3.Weak Market Competitiveness and Lack of Long-Term Planning

Although the goji berry industry in Ningxia has entered an intermediate stage of development,and its production scale and market share have made great breakthroughs compared with the past,the Ningxia goji berry industry has not formed a complete system of production - processing - sales because its operating enterprises are too scattered and unitary,its industrial chain is too short, it lacks long-term systematic planning,and its culture has not been fully excavated and understood so far,resulting in its weak market competitiveness.

Ⅲ.The Development Strategy Choice of the Goji Berry Industry in Ningxia

（i）Taking Advantage of Opportunities

1.Using State Support to Enhance Brand Awareness

So far, the central government and the government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have continuously worked out a series of preferential policies and some “green channels”for the development of Ningxia's goji berry industry,which have increased considerable income for the farmers growing goji berry in Ningxia,and at the same time also increased their enthusiasm for goji berry cultivation to an all-time high.In the export trade of goji berry,many international professional marketing talents have been introduced and trained,and the marketing system of goji berry in the international market has been initially improved and gradually formed.In this regard,we can take advantage of national policies and financial support to take part in a number of large-scale international conferences such as“Agricultural Products Expo”,“Agricultural Expo”,“Forestry Expo”and“World Horticultural Expo”,so as to focus on building the brand of Ningxia goji berry,improve the popularity of Ningxia goji berry brand and make it take root in the domestic market.At the same time, we can develop and expand the international market,go abroad and enter the international“stage”.

2.Making Use of the“Internet Plus”Era to Build a“Marketing Network”of Ningxia Goji Berry

Today's society is an era of the rise of the Internet.It is hard to imagine the rapid spread of information, which undoubtedly creates favorable conditions for the development of the goji berry industry in Ningxia.In the past,although Ningxia goji berry had its own fixed“fans”group,where most members are from Ningxia and its surrounding areas.Few outsiders knew about Ningxia goji berry.The number of“fans”increased in the form of sum,while in the era of internet plus,“fans”increased in the form of power.Ningxia goji berry industry also began to accelerate after entering the era of Internet.Therefore, Ningxia goji berry industry can take advantage of this favorable condition to establish its own“marketing network”.

3.Making Use of the Huge Market Demand for Green Food to Create Ningxia Goji Berry Brand Image

Goji berry is not only nutriment,but also has great nourishing and health preserving value,and it also has medicinal value.It is organic green food of free-pollution.At present, when food safety is frequently in trouble, organic green food is undoubtedly the biggest appeal of consumers.From this point of view,Ningxia goji berry's green,natural and pollution-free label is making it meet all the needs of consumers for natural organic food and has great market potential and development prospects.In this regard,we must strictly control the production details, strictly resist highly toxic pesticides,strengthen the prevention and control of plant diseases and insect pests,carry out pollution-free organic production,make great efforts to improve the output and quality of products, and provide consumers with high-quality green and pure natural goji berry,so as to create a good brand image of Ningxia goji berry favored by consumers and the market.

（ii）Overcoming Disadvantages

1.Cultivating Professional Internet Marketing Talents and Increasing Brand Promotion

In view of the defects of brand promotion,the government and enterprises should effectively improve the marketing strategy and train compound and internationalized goji berry professional marketing talents,which will lay a solid foundation for ensuring Ningxia goji berry internationalization.On the one hand,enterprises should pay attention to the selection of foreign language talents to serve the marketing and promotion of Ningxia goji berry.On the other hand, pay attention to the training of existing marketing personnel and develop international marketing talents.In addition,through strengthening international exchanges,the goal of introducing advanced technology concepts, even excellent talents and advanced equipment is achieved, and an enterprise development mode dominated by high-tech talents is established,so as to gradually expand the scale of the goji berry market and promote the sustainable and steady development of the goji berry industry.

2.Standardizing the Industrial Operation Process and Improving the Picking and Processing Methods

The key to improving the production efficiency and economic benefits of fruit growers lies in accelerating the transformation of the initial processing of goji berry from manual to mechanical.In terms of picking methods, manual picking mechanization is the key to improve work efficiency.In the drying process,energy-saving technologies such as hot air drying and heat pump drying are adopted.The standardization of the acquisition process should be guaranteed by ensuring the symmetry of information, establishing a fair competition principle and a highly coordinated market operation mechanism;at the same time,we coordinate and take into account the interests of different groups of planting, purchasing and consumption,and strive to build the image of Ningxia goji berry,and ensure the sustainable development of Ningxia goji berry through multi-channel publicity,various management methods and various sales channels[7].In addition,people need to improve the operation system,strengthen the system construction,clear the division of labor and cooperation between different interest groups and responsibilities and tasks;Finally,Ningxia should try to establish fixed marketing outlets in various regions to lay the foundation for the smooth implementation of large-scale sales plans.