Luohu unveils measures to bolster pet economy

To bolster a rising pet economy, Luohu District yesterday unveiled measures to develop pet industry clusters in the district to reinforce its service-oriented economy.

With a strong service sector, which contributes to 94.2% of the district's annual GDP, Luohu has designated the pet industry as one of the 28 major service sectors that it will take efforts to further develop.

A scene of Luohu District's press conference yesterday. Sznews.com

According to the new measures, Luohu will establish a cross-border e-commerce industrial park in Sungang Subdistrict that will focus on the trading of pet products such as pet food and pet toys, aiming to attract a number of leading companies and startup companies to settle down there and foster an industry of a certain scale. The district government will also set up a one-stop pet complex in Dongxiao Subdistrict that will integrate pet showcasing and training, and sales of pet supplies. In addition, the district will enhance the status of Donghu Park and Cuihu Cultural and Sports Park as pet-friendly parks by upgrading facilities there.

According to Tong Xing, director of Luohu District's enterprise service center, the measures also encourage industry concentration by transforming old industrial parks and buildings into pet service-dominiated ones. Eligible companies can win a subsidy of up to 3 million yuan while eligible talent will receive housing and living allowances, according to Tong. 

Visitors interact with pet dogs at the 11th Shenzhen International Pet Supplies Exhibition and Global Pet Cross-border E-commerce Fair, which took place at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District in March. The fair attracted over 1,000 exhibitors from home and abroad to showcase a wide range of pet products in eight themed exhibition halls. Lin Songtao

With a total of 26 pet hospitals and clinics at present, the district also aims to build a large-scale, high-end pet medical care center in the future. 

Shenzhen has seen a surge in the number of pet owners over recent years. According to data from China Development Institute released last year, Shenzhen had approximately 500,000 pet cats and dogs.