At the stall area in Zhongping Town, the atmosphere was lively as first secretaries stationed in villages enthusiastically promoted their products. "This ham has been aged in a cave," one explained. "These apples from Zhongping are crisp and sweet," another chimed in. A wide array of fruits, vegetables, traditional Chinese medicines, and local specialties from Jiulong Town's produce, Pingshan Street's ginseng, and Malutang Township's high-altitude Saba ham lined the booths, drawing many government employees and residents eager for one-stop shopping.
The recent "First Secretaries Invite You to Taste Local Specialties: Harvest Festival" special Luquan County party-building agricultural support market opened with great fanfare. Representatives from 34 agricultural product enterprises across the county's 17 townships and streets gathered to showcase and sell over 60 types of specialty agricultural goods. The first secretaries took center stage to introduce and recommend these products, bringing high-quality New Year goods straight from the fields to the doorsteps of government staff and city residents. This marked the third such event held in Luquan County this year.
At the event site, discussions centered on how to best leverage the role of first secretaries to boost farmers' incomes. Not long ago, the County Party Committee Organization Department held a brainstorming session. Ideas flowed freely: bringing in more enterprises, launching e-commerce livestreams, having government canteens procure agricultural products, organizing farming-related seasonal activities. Many suggestions were put forward, and the good ones needed to be put into practice, leading to the creation of this marketplace run by the first secretaries.
On this day, the county also inaugurated its "Party-Mass Market Service Day." Party member volunteers became versatile helpers, taking on roles for crowd control, weighing, and cashiering, transforming the mobile market into a "mobile party branch" that ensured transactions were both orderly and efficient.
Where to begin
To successfully host this agricultural support market, the County Party Committee Organization Department and the County Organs Working Committee organized nine party member volunteer service teams from various county departments. These teams designed over 40 tailored service projects based on their units' functions and members' expertise, focusing on the practical needs of rural residents. Services covered health consultations, e-commerce training, agricultural product sales, and more, establishing a "service project library" for the people's livelihood market that rural communities could choose from.
To broaden the reach and enrich the offerings, the Organization Department also brought in 21 volunteers, including anchors from the county's "Village Broadcast Courtyard," to participate in the livelihood service market. They added cultural performances and emergency rescue guidance to the volunteer services, expanding the market's network of supporters.
"To ensure consumers came prepared, the County Party Committee Organization Department used online platforms to publish regular previews, sharing details like stall categories and vendor information, keeping the market bustling," said Zhou Yingchao, head of the Organization Section of Luquan County Organization Department. The market operated on a model of "first secretaries placing orders, departments fulfilling them, and party members and the public evaluating the results." Before the event, all 115 village work teams, village party branch committees, and party member leaders wove a tight service network through home visits and targeted assistance, collecting supply and demand information on agricultural products through surveys, discussions, and questionnaires. This enabled precise matching between consumer needs and product supply.
"The rural market has found good sales channels for the people's local goods, and many are eager to participate again," said Yang Xuejian, a team member stationed in Zhian Village of Tuanjie Town. "We're also keeping detailed records of villagers' crop varieties, yields, and harvest times to understand what we have, making it easier to connect with demand and solve farmers' selling difficulties. Our goal is to help local specialties sell better, faster, and further, boosting incomes."
Ahead of the event, village committees from all 200 villages and communities used bulletin boards, loudspeakers, and WeChat groups to announce the agricultural product purchase lists. This "market-going" format, beloved by residents, provided group-based, order-style doorstep services, allowing villagers to "enjoy multiple services in one market visit."
"Previously, we relied mainly on middlemen coming to buy, which was a limited and low-price channel. Even a great fruit harvest often meant little profit," explained Zhang, a large-scale chicken farmer. "Today, thanks to the work team's agricultural support market, the party and government have set up a platform, and our products reach consumers directly, fetching much better prices."
"The market acts as a bridge, letting farmers' specialties go straight to government offices and dining tables, cutting out middlemen for more honest prices and authentic flavors. This helps farmers broaden sales and lets everyone buy quality goods at the source," said Liu Changli, a work team member. The event ran both online and offline, with sales via the county's "Village Broadcast Courtyard" platform and livestreaming by first secretaries on video platforms.
"Many farmers know how to grow but don't understand sales or lack the energy to pursue it. So, we initiated the 'Party Flag Leading, Work Team Agricultural Support Market' to build a long-term platform to solve the problem of selling agricultural products," explained Zhao Lei, a member of the County Party Committee Organization Department.
All 115 first secretaries stationed in villages brought their local specialties, creating a convenient bridge for production-sales connections and direct benefits to farmers, turning a "good harvest" into "good income." This initiative will serve as a model, encouraging government agencies to bring agricultural products into offices, public halls, shopping districts, and factories, and facilitating union welfare support for farmers and collective canteen procurement, with negotiations underway for over 40 products.
"Reflecting on the two-day New Year agricultural market, it attracted over 10,000 visitors and achieved sales of 1.6 million yuan, a solid testament to the effectiveness of the first secretaries' product selection and sales efforts," Zhao Lei noted. To date, the three sessions of "First Secretaries Invite You to Taste Local Specialties" have collectively driven agricultural product sales of approximately 4.5 million yuan.