Harvest for Organic Food at Trade Fair in Harbin

Organic food has emerged as a lucrative industry in Heilongjiang province. At a Harbin international trade fair last year, organic food produced in the province brought 24 deals with a combined value of 3.15 billion yuan ($510 million).

The deals were signed at the China Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair, which is now named the Sino-Russian Expo. This year it will open on June 30 and close on July 4.

The new name demonstrates the attention and effort from the two countries in trade cooperation, said local officials. The province's capital city Harbin has been the host of the event for 24 years.

Covering an overall area of 86,000 sq m, the expo will have 3,000 stalls and a Russian pavilion showcasing the country's culture and economy. Other zones include those for agriculture, organic food and even Russian oil painting.

An opening ceremony for the Russian pavilion will be followed by meetings between entrepreneurs and forums on economic cooperation. The 2013 fair hosted 12,600 businessmen from 75 countries and regions.

It also attracted 21 Fortune 500 enterprises from the United States, Belgium, Japan and South Korea, as well as 291 multinational corporations from Italy, Germany, France and UK.

Business deals with companies from 46 countries worth of $14 billion were signed during the fair. Domestic economic and technological cooperation projects worth of 251 billion yuan were also inked.

Organic food has become a backbone industry in Heilongjiang. It now has one-quarter of the country's cultivated land for organic produce.

The products are sold in more than 40 countries and regions including Southeast Asia, Europe, the US and Japan.

Stands for vegetables grown in the mountains, bee products and berries are the most popular among visitors and exhibitors at the fair.

Organic products from Yichun, a city near the Lesser Hinggan Mountains, attracted many visitors.

"Forest products including black mushrooms and blueberries have a good reputation among domestic and overseas businessmen," said Gao Huan, mayor of Yichun.

Blueberry products including alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are now exported to the global market, said Gao.

The fair also exhibited 200 oil paintings created by Russian painters for the first time.

A cluster of art industry has emerged around a center for painters in the Songbei district of Harbin city.

"Heilongjiang has released its industrial potential and further opened up to the world because of the fair," said Chen Dianyun, the executive of the event's committee.