Pinduoduo is helping the agricultural industry thrive

What is Pinduoduo?

Pinduoduo (拼多多) is the largest interactive e-commerce platform in China and in the world. It is the third-largest online marketplace behind Alibaba and JD.com in China.

It has pioneered several new trends that have revolutionized online shopping in China including:

social e-commerce
team purchase
consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M)

Founded in 2015, Pinduoduo has become the fastest growing tech company in the world. In 2019 Pinduoduo has generated over RMB 1 trillion gross merchandise value (GMV), 585.2 million active buyers and an average daily order of 54 million parcels in 2019.

How Pinduoduo is helping small businesses and farmers?

Pinduoduo’s help in the agricultural sector

In the agricultural sector, the traditional supply chain faced severe stress after the pandemic disrupted the flow of labor and logistics, threatening the journey of food from farm to table.

Pinduoduo (PDD), China’s largest agricultural e-commerce platform, stepped in to bridge the gap by connecting producers directly to consumers. In fact, with digital platforms, the availability of real-time information can enable small companies and farmers to get detailed insights and make better decisions.

The company used its team purchase model to aggregate demand from its more than 600 million consumers for agricultural produce, helping farmers sell their perishable crops.
PDD also provides local governments and farmers with insights on consumer preferences so that they can better plan and market their products.
Pinduoduo is hosting the global agriculture competition to bring the farming and tech community together.

In 2019, Pinduoduo had over 360,000 merchants from national-level poverty-stricken counties selling on Pinduoduo and its GMV for agricultural products reached 136.4 billion yuan ($19.3 billion).

The PDD’s “Smart Agriculture Competition”

The Smart Agriculture Competition is organized by Pinduoduo and the China Agricultural University, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The competition, which has already attracted interest from almost 40 teams worldwide, has the aims to help the agriculture sector in the country embrace digitization by exploring the use of the latest technologies.

Participating teams with experts from all over the world will compete in the cultivation of the best strawberries. Winners will be determined based on:

the economic value created
the reliability
scalability
technical merit of the agritech solutions deployed.

The preliminary round is on June 15. Wageningen University & Research from the Netherlands, the University of Florida from the U.S., corporate teams from Ridder Group and Syngenta and Agricultural universities and institutes in China from Shenyang, Sichuan and Shaanxi are among the 17 teams shortlisted for the first round.

The winners of the challenge will receive:

research funding
implementation support at a Duo Duo Farm in Yunnan
academic and commercial support from PDD

What is the Duo Duo Farm?

The Duo Duo Farm is an initiative by Pinduoduo to empower farmers to keep more of the economic value in the supply chain of agricultural products. By collaborating with local administrations and agronomic researchers, Duo Duo Farms aims to improve the economic livelihood of merchants.

Duo Duo Farm as guide on how to sell on the Pinduoduo platform for farmers

Pinduoduo provides week-long training sessions in rural Yunnan to equip farmers with important skills, such as understanding of:

e-commerce
finance
business operations
online marketing

Through this training, farmers can sell their products directly on the Pinduoduo e-commerce platform. The platform connects farmers directly with consumers, without relying on layers of intermediaries in the traditional supply chain, allowing farmers to earn a better living and consumers to buy at lower prices.

For example, when Farmers were sell yacon (a fruit that resembles a large potato and has an apple-like taste, which was largely unknown in China before PDD introduced it to the market) to distributors for 0.5 yuan/kg, then, distributors were reselling the fruit for over 4 yuan/kg. Excluding expenses for logistics and labor, distributors were still making a profit of 1.8 yuan/kg.

This showed how much distributors more than farmers by selling on Pinduoduo, that’s why PDD introduced the Duo Duo Farm in early 2019.

Duo Duo Farm leads to talents development

As the demand for fresh products from these provinces on Pinduoduo increases, more jobs are created (such as agriculture, packaging, delivery and e-commerce store operations).

Thanks to the new job opportunities created by Pinduoduo in rural areas, the younger generations can return home to earn a living.

Given their urban experience, these people are more tech-savvy and knowledgeable about the benefits of e-commerce, which can help alleviate poverty in rural areas.

Agritech is a great area of interest for investors

COVID-19 has not only disrupted traditional supply chains, but it has also challenged food systems and exposed hidden bottlenecks and cracks that could break. It is therefore not surprising that interest in investments in agritech is growing.

Covid-19 has made agritech investing a greater area of interest for a investors like Big Ag and Big Food corporations to family offices and governments.

Interest in plant-based meat

There are 2 main reasons why plant-based meat is gaining interest:

Plant-based meat is an assembly process in which conveyor belts, machinery etc. can be used.
In these times, meat of vegetable origin can be produced more reliably and safely and is an important alternative for consumers.

In fact, also due to covid-19, Chinese consumers are paying much more attention to the health benefits, scientific merits of the food they are eating.

Duo Duo orchard a game which contributes to poverty alleviation in rural China

Duo Duo Orchard has been incredibly popular since it launched in 2018. Pinduoduo gave out over 500,000 kilograms of free fruit every day, benefiting not only consumers but also growers in rural areas.

In fact, as more consumers plant virtual trees for the reward of free fruit from Pinduoduo, growers receive more orders for their harvests.

It aims to encourage consumers to interact and share while they shop on Pinduoduo. It has become a popular feature where users can grow virtual fruit trees for a free box of fruit.

Over 11 million daily active users (DAU) log on to the game to water their trees. It is an effective channel for incentivizing consumers to purchase and to allow users to interact and enjoy the fun of shopping with friends.

Do you want to know more about How to use Chinese e-commerce platforms to boost sales? Contact E-Commerce China Agency a digital marketing agency, specialized in Chinese digital market.

Pinduoduo Agriculture and Rural E-Commerce in 2027: Opportunities for Food Brands

Pinduoduo built the largest agricultural e-commerce network in the world. Its “Duo Duo Nongchang” (多多农场) and “Duo Duo Maicai” (多多买菜) programs directly connected over 16 million farmers to urban consumers by 2026. Fresh produce, grain, oils, and local specialty foods from rural China now reach consumers in tier-1 cities within 24-48 hours via Pinduoduo’s agricultural supply chain. This created a new consumer expectation for fresh food at low prices that pressured traditional supermarkets and food delivery platforms alike.

For imported food brands, the agricultural push creates both competition and opportunity. Domestic fresh produce on Pinduoduo is extremely price-competitive. Imported food brands cannot compete on price against local Chinese agricultural products. Instead, the opportunity is in categories where domestic supply does not exist or cannot match quality: imported dairy, specialty oils (olive oil, avocado oil), premium nuts, Western condiments, and ethnic food ingredients that Chinese consumers want but cannot source domestically.

“Origin authenticity” is Pinduoduo’s core positioning for agricultural products. The platform promotes direct-from-farm sourcing as a quality signal. International brands can leverage this same logic: products marketed with a clear geographic origin story (French olive oil from Provence, Greek honey from specific apiaries, New Zealand butter from a named farm) align with Pinduoduo’s existing consumer education around provenance. This gives premium imported food brands a credible positioning even on a price-sensitive platform.

Pinduoduo’s fresh food category became one of its fastest-growing revenue streams. Duo Duo Maicai (多多买菜), the next-day fresh delivery service, competes directly with Meituan Maicai and JD Daojia. By 2027, Duo Duo Maicai operates in over 200 cities and handles significant daily fresh order volume. Brands that list fresh or chilled products (premium dairy, fresh imported meat, specialty condiments) on Duo Duo Maicai reach a rapidly expanding urban buyer base that was previously outside Pinduoduo’s typical profile.

Rural consumer spending on premium imported food grew 28% in 2026. Rising incomes in tier-3 to tier-5 cities and rural areas created new demand for affordable premium imports. Pinduoduo’s lower-tier audience now regularly buys imported cookies, instant coffee, health supplements, and personal care products. Brands that price imported products at 50-150 RMB per unit hit the sweet spot for this demographic — aspiring to better quality but not at luxury price points.

Technical Tips for Food Brands on Pinduoduo

Lead with origin provenance in product titles and first image. Pinduoduo consumers respond to specific origin claims. “法国诺曼底黄油” (French Normandy butter) outperforms “进口黄油” (imported butter) in search click-through rate. Be specific about country, region, and production method in your listing title.
Price your entry SKU under 99 RMB. Pinduoduo’s algorithm favors products priced for its core demographic. A 99 RMB or below price point qualifies for more promotional placements and group-buy eligibility than products priced above this threshold. Create a smaller pack size specifically for Pinduoduo if your standard packaging prices above this level.
Apply for Pinduoduo’s “百亿补贴” (10 billion subsidy) program for premium imported products. Pinduoduo subsidizes select imported products to make them price-competitive. Getting your product listed in the 百亿补贴 channel dramatically increases visibility and sales volume. Apply through your merchant manager — eligibility requires brand verification and product quality documentation.
Run “砍价” (group discount) mechanics for new SKU launches. Pinduoduo’s original mechanic — sharing a product link for friends to collectively unlock a lower price — still works for new product discovery. Structure a launch campaign around this mechanic to generate social sharing and new buyer acquisition at a low cost.

What Brands Say About Pinduoduo for Food

“We launched our Spanish olive oil on Pinduoduo with a 89 RMB entry SKU and an origin story video showing our family farm in Andalusia. Within 60 days we were selling 1,500 units a month. The rural buyer segment on Pinduoduo is completely different from our Tmall customers — they want authenticity at a fair price, not luxury packaging.”

Export director, Spanish olive oil producer

“Getting into Pinduoduo’s 百亿补贴 program was the best thing we did in China in 2026. Our product appeared at the top of the imported food category for three months. Sales volume was 4x what we ever achieved with standard platform advertising.”

China sales manager, Australian health supplement brand

FAQ: Real Questions Chinese Consumers Ask About Pinduoduo Food

拼多多上买的进口食品靠谱吗？(Are imported food products on Pinduoduo trustworthy?) It depends on the store. Pinduoduo’s verified brand flagship stores (品牌旗舰店) and stores in the 百亿补贴 program carry higher authenticity guarantees because Pinduoduo conducts spot checks and requires origin documentation. Standard third-party merchant stores on Pinduoduo have lower verification requirements and carry more counterfeiting risk for premium imported food. Consumers should prioritize purchasing from verified flagship stores or the 百亿补贴 channel for imported products, and check that packaging includes Chinese-language labels with importer name, address, and GACC registration number — all legally required for imported food in China.

拼多多的农产品新鲜吗？(Is fresh produce from Pinduoduo actually fresh?) Yes, for products from Duo Duo Maicai (多多买菜), which operates a next-day fresh delivery model with temperature-controlled logistics and daily inventory turnover. Produce ordered before the cut-off time (typically 23:00) arrives the following morning. Pinduoduo also operates a freshness guarantee policy where buyers receive a full refund for produce that arrives damaged or spoiled without needing to return the product. For standard Pinduoduo marketplace fresh products (not Duo Duo Maicai), freshness depends on the individual seller’s logistics setup and is less consistently guaranteed.

Philip Chen, CEO EAC Ecommerce China Agency

EAC helps imported food and agricultural brands launch on Pinduoduo, from verified store setup and 百亿补贴 applications to origin content strategy and lower-tier city market positioning.

Get a free brand audit from our team. We assess your product’s fit for Pinduoduo’s buyer base and design a realistic sales plan.

Follow Philip Chen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/philip-chen