The pace of transformation and upgrading in the agricultural product processing industry and leisure agriculture is accelerating
Since 2015, China's agricultural product processing industry and leisure agriculture have accelerated their transformation, upgrading and innovative development, advanced the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas, and become a new growth pole driving agricultural and rural economic development and an effective path for "rural residents" to move toward comprehensive moderate prosperity. They have shouldered their responsibilities in promoting agricultural modernization and made positive contributions to stabilizing growth, adjusting the structure, promoting reform and improving people's livelihoods.
Providing support for achieving the "dual medium-to-high" economic goals. It is estimated that in 2015 the main business revenue of the agricultural product processing industry will reach 20 trillion yuan, accounting for about 18% of the national industry. The ratio of the processing industry to agricultural output value is about 2.2:1; in the first three quarters of this year, added value increased by 6.5% year on year, 0.3 percentage points higher than the industrial growth rate; there are 1.8 million leisure agriculture operators, with estimated revenue of 350 billion yuan, an increase of more than 10%, providing support and new momentum for the agricultural and rural economy to enter "medium-to-high speed" and move toward "medium-to-high quality."
Shouldering important responsibilities in promoting agricultural modernization. The agricultural product processing industry and leisure agriculture have extended agriculture's industrial chain and value chain, promoted the construction of the modern agricultural industrial system, production system and management system, achieved the goals of supplementing agriculture, building agriculture and driving agriculture, expanded the multiple functions of agriculture, and promoted agricultural quality improvement and efficiency enhancement.
Making new contributions in promoting farmers' employment and income growth. In 2015, more than 9% of farmers' per capita income came from wage income in the agricultural product processing industry; every 100 million yuan of processing output value absorbed 107 people in employment, 57 more than manufacturing; leisure agriculture attracted 1.1 billion tourist visits, benefiting 33 million farmers.
Playing a role in the construction of rural ecological civilization. At present, 60% of China's more than 800 million tons of straw and more than 580 million tons of processing by-products have not been utilized in high-value ways. A large number of processing enterprises have begun to devote themselves to the recycling, full-value and cascading utilization of by-products, protecting the environment; there are currently 1,600 processing parks nationwide with 35,000 enterprises in the parks, concentrating efforts on environmental pollution treatment; leisure agriculture has transformed green mountains and clear waters into mountains of gold and silver, promoting green development.
Over the past year, the preparation of plans for the development of the agricultural product processing industry and the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas has been accelerated, primary processing, deep processing and comprehensive utilization of agricultural products have been continuously advanced, and support systems such as policy assistance have been steadily built. The 1 billion yuan primary processing subsidy project has become a virtuous governance project that farmers can afford to build, put to use and benefit from over the long term. Platforms such as the Agricultural Product Processing Industry Investment and Trade Fair have been successfully established, and the action to upgrade the staple food processing industry has been actively promoted.
Over the past year, leisure agriculture and rural tourism, with farming culture as the soul, beautiful countryside as the charm, ecological agriculture as the foundation, innovation and creativity as the path, and ancient villages as the form, have integrated with farming culture, beautiful villages, ecological civilization, modern agriculture and farmers' entrepreneurship and innovation, becoming a wonderful destination for people to gaze at mountains, see waters and recall nostalgia. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Development and Reform Commission and 11 other departments issued support policies to promote the transformation of farming areas into scenic areas, rural fields into parks, farmhouses into guest rooms, labor into sports, and products into commodities.
Looking ahead to the "13th Five-Year Plan," the agricultural product processing industry and leisure agriculture will use the new development concepts of "innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing" set by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee to guide new actions. With the promotion of the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas as the overarching goal, they will earnestly organize and implement the agricultural product processing industry revitalization project, seeking key breakthroughs in areas such as primary processing, deep processing technology integration, comprehensive utilization of by-products, staple food processing, quality and brand improvement, processing park construction, and processing industries in main production areas; implement the leisure agriculture upgrading project, seeking key breakthroughs in areas such as cultural heritage protection, cultivating distinctive brands, and implementing the leisure agriculture upgrading project; and implement the farmers' entrepreneurship and innovation service project, seeking key breakthroughs in areas such as a set of policy systems, a group of leaders, a group of new platforms, a group of models, and a service system, providing strong support for promoting agricultural modernization.