China expands supply‑marketing cooperatives network under 15‑Year plan

The All‑China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives released its 15th Five‑Year Development Plan, targeting the construction or renovation of roughly 100 national strategic agricultural‑input storage facilities and about 1,000 county‑level distribution centres by 2030. The plan aims to extend the cooperative network to fully cover urban and rural areas, adding services such as rural supermarkets, e‑commerce platforms, logistics, cold‑chain storage, recycling and other life‑service functions.

The system currently operates about 37,000 grassroots cooperatives and 856,000 service outlets nationwide. Analysts and scholars say the expansion signals a shift back toward a state‑directed, planned‑economy model, reducing space for private agribusiness. "Li Qiang said the supply‑marketing system’s re‑expansion shows China’s economic policy is returning to a state‑led path," reflecting concerns that the move could revive Mao‑era mechanisms of centralized procurement and distribution, affecting farmer autonomy and market freedom.