New caviar processing center begins trial operations

By Yan Wanqin.

A new caviar processing center of Qingjiang Sturgeon Valley began trial operations on October 22 in Gaobazhou Town, Yidu City, a key step toward strengthening the company’s position in the global caviar industry.
 

Targeting international markets, the new center covers 35 mu (2.33 hectares) and includes a high-level cleanroom, cold chain storage and a product exhibition area. All 21 core processes of caviar production are carried out under operating-room-level cleanliness standards.

"Our purification standards meet those of pharmaceutical production. To ensure quality, the entire production environment maintains constant temperature, humidity and cleanliness,” said Ji Jianyi, general manager of Hubei Qingjiang Sturgeon Valley Special Fisheries Co., Ltd. “The caviar production process is completed within 15 minutes, significantly reducing the roe's exposure to air and enhancing product freshness and quality."

The new center was built to support the company's growth and address the limitations of the old facility.

"We’ve integrated various advanced systems into this new center. Since caviar production still depends heavily on manual work, we’ve trained a large number of skilled technicians. Combining this expertise with advanced equipment, spacious facilities, and international-standard management, we’ve created one of the most modern and scientific systems in the industry," Ji explained.

This upgrade has not only significantly improved caviar quality but also increased processing capacity from an annual output of 100 tons to 500 tons.
 

The new processing center will enable the Qingjiang Sturgeon Valley Industrial Park to produce more efficiently, helping Yidu’s caviar become more competitive in global markets.

"This year, we also began building the world's first unmanned digital breeding facility, which is expected to be completed between September and October next year. That workshop, with a clear height of six meters, will feature drone feeding, robot patrols, and unmanned operations monitored externally by engineers,” Ji said. "Our goal is to build the China Qingjiang (Yidu) Sturgeon Valley Industrial Park into a national-level modern fishery hub that leads globally in scale, technology, and quality."

Fang Yonghua and Sun Yumin contributed to this story.