Abstract:

Tropical crop industry is an important part of China’s agriculture, which is of great significance to national resource security, rural revitalization, national unity and diplomacy. Using SWOT-PEST method in combination with the current development status of China’s tropical crop industry, this paper analyzes the internal advantages, disadvantages, external opportunities and challenges of China’s tropical crop industry from four aspects of politics, economy, society and technology, and constructs an analysis matrix. The study shows that China’s tropical crop industry has internal advantages such as government emphasis, diversified natural resources, location advantages, good industrial development foundation and scientific and technological strength reserve. At the same time, there are also disadvantages such as relatively insufficient support, lagging development of management level, high pressure of resource and environment constraints and production costs, and low contribution rate of scientific and technological progress. It is suggested that four strategies of growth, torsion, diversification and defense for the development of China’s tropical crop industry should be comprehensively applied. Taking the Belt and Road Initiative, the Rural Revitalization Strategy and the continuous opening-up policy as an opportunity, we should make good use of the development opportunities of strong domestic market, growing diversified demand and increasing application of new technologies, and fully tap and play the internal advantages. By strengthening government policy support for the tropical crop industry, improving the construction of the management system of the tropical crop industry, promoting the ‘go global’ of the tropical crop enterprises, and upgrading of the industrial chain driven by scientific and technological innovation, we can reduce or avoid the impact of the international tropical agricultural market on the domestic market, the uncertainty of supply security and the threat of insufficient supply of scientific and technological innovation, and comprehensively improve the international competitiveness of China’s tropical crop industry.

Key words: SWOT-PEST analysis, China, tropical crop industry, development strategy