Rural Household Contracted Farmland Transfers Exceed 400 Million Mu: Minister of Agriculture Releases Data

“Brilliant 12th Five-Year Plan” Series Report Meeting

Since the “12th Five-Year Plan” and Especially Since the 18th CPC National Congress

China's Agricultural and Rural Development Has Achieved Brilliant Success

The fourth session of the “Brilliant 12th Five-Year Plan” series report meeting was held in Beijing on October 10. Our reporter interviewed the speaker, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu.

Q: As the saying goes, “Food is the first necessity of the people.” “Eating” is a topic people cannot avoid. Please tell us about the overall situation of our “rice bag” and “vegetable basket” since the “12th Five-Year Plan.”

A: With grain in hand, there is no need to panic. For a large country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, ensuring that people have enough to eat has always been the top priority in governance. Since the “12th Five-Year Plan,” we have always made every effort to ensure the effective supply of grain and other major agricultural products the primary task of agricultural and rural work, and the level of agricultural product supply has risen markedly. Grain production achieved a historic “eleven consecutive increases,” successively reaching two new steps of 100 billion jin. Since 2011, total grain output has continuously crossed the two thresholds of 1,100 billion jin and 1,200 billion jin, which has not happened since the founding of New China. In 2014 it reached 1,214.2 billion jin, and this year it is expected to exceed 1,200 billion jin, marking five consecutive years above 1,100 billion jin and three consecutive years above 1,200 billion jin, indicating that China's comprehensive grain production capacity has risen from 1,000 billion jin during the “11th Five-Year Plan” period to a new level of 1,100 billion jin and stood firm there. It is particularly worth mentioning that since 2004, China's grain production has increased for eleven consecutive years, which has both strengthened our confidence in keeping our rice bowl firmly in our own hands and demonstrated the unique advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. At present, the self-sufficiency rate of China's three major grains - rice, wheat and corn - remains above 98%, and per capita grain availability has reached 450 kg, higher than the world average. We use less than 9% of the world's farmland to produce 25% of the world's grain, feed nearly 20% of the world's population, and have achieved the transformation from a recipient country of food aid to a donor country of food aid, making a major contribution to world food security that has drawn worldwide admiration. On the basis of consecutive years of grain increases, “vegetable basket” products have also had abundant harvests, ample supply and stable prices. In 2014, China produced 6.16 million tons of cotton, 35.17 million tons of oilseeds, 13.32 million tons of sugar, 760 million tons of vegetables, 150 million tons of fruit, 87.07 million tons of meat, 28.94 million tons of poultry eggs, 37.25 million tons of milk and 64.5 million tons of aquatic products. The output of meat, poultry eggs, vegetables and aquatic products ranks first in the world. Per capita availability reached 130 jin of meat, 1,100 jin of vegetables, 40 jin of poultry eggs and 94 jin of aquatic products, all exceeding the world average. The rapid development of these agricultural products has enriched the “vegetable baskets” and “fruit plates” of urban and rural residents, and made possible “China on the tip of the tongue.”

Q: Since the “12th Five-Year Plan,” farmers' wallets have become increasingly full and their consumption levels have risen. Please tell us about changes in farmers' income and consumption?

A: The 18th CPC National Congress proposed that by 2020 urban and rural residents' incomes should double those of 2010. General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “Whether we have achieved moderate prosperity or not, the key lies in our rural compatriots.” For rural compatriots to achieve moderate prosperity, the key is whether their “wallets” are full. During the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, we always made every effort to promote sustained increases in farmers' incomes the central task of agricultural and rural work, and pushed farmers' incomes to grow continuously and relatively rapidly. In 2014, China's per capita net income of farmers reached 9,892 yuan, an increase of nearly 4,000 yuan over 2010. Since the “12th Five-Year Plan,” it has grown at an average annual rate of 10.1%. At present, the rate of increase has been higher than that of urban residents' income and higher than GDP growth for five consecutive years, and has maintained relatively rapid growth for eleven consecutive years. The urban-rural income gap has narrowed for five consecutive years, from 3.33:1 in 2009 to 2.92:1 in 2014. This year, per capita net income of farmers is expected to break through the 10,000 yuan mark, and the growth rate will continue to maintain the trend of being higher in two respects. Farmers' living standards have improved markedly. In 2014, China's per capita living consumption expenditure of farmers was nearly 7,000 yuan, an increase of nearly 3,000 yuan over 2010. The Engel coefficient of rural resident households fell from 41.1% in 2010 to 37.7% in 2013. The proportion of food consumption expenditure fell markedly, while consumption expenditure on culture, education and entertainment, transportation and communications, and medical care continued to grow. Farmers' housing and living conditions improved greatly, and the level of consumption was clearly upgraded, with hundreds of millions of farmers sharing more of the fruits of economic and social development in step with others. Rural poverty alleviation developed more rapidly. The number of poor people nationwide decreased from 122 million in 2011 to more than 70 million in 2014, and more than 50 million people took off the “poverty cap,” achieving the “two no worries and three guarantees,” namely no worry about food, no worry about clothing, and guarantees in compulsory education, basic medical care and housing. China's anti-poverty achievements have become a model for the world.

Q: Everyone knows that the fundamental way out for agriculture lies in modernization. Could you talk about how China's agricultural modernization is developing and what major achievements have been made during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period?

A: Since the “12th Five-Year Plan,” in accordance with the strategic deployment of “synchronization of the four modernizations,” we have taken agricultural modernization as the main direction, made improving agricultural facilities and equipment conditions and raising the level of agricultural science and technology the focus, adopted comprehensive measures and made sustained efforts, and pushed traditional agriculture to accelerate its transformation into modern agriculture. Remarkable results have been achieved in agricultural modernization, mainly reflected in five figures. First, the proportion of effectively irrigated farmland exceeds 52%, which shows that more than half of the country's farmland can ensure stable yields despite drought or excessive rain, and the situation in which agriculture depends on the weather is gradually changing. A large number of major water conservancy backbone projects and modern breeding and planting bases have been built, improving agricultural production conditions. Among them, efforts were concentrated on building more than 400 million mu of high-yield and stable-yield farmland that ensures stable yields despite drought or excessive rain, basically achieving irrigation in drought, drainage in flooding, fields in squares, roads in rows, canals connected and roads interconnected. By the end of 2014, the country's effectively irrigated farmland area was 986 million mu. Second, the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress has reached 56%, marking that China's agricultural development has entered a new period from mainly relying on increased input of resource factors in the past to mainly relying on scientific and technological progress. The creation of a large number of high-yield and high-efficiency demonstration zones promoted the combination of agricultural machinery and agronomy and the matching of good seeds with good methods, and realized the transformation from single technological breakthroughs to integrated innovation and promotion of multiple technologies and multiple factors. E-commerce flourished. In 2014, agriculture-related e-commerce enterprises already reached 31,000, and online sales exceeded 100 billion yuan. Third, the coverage rate of improved crop seeds has stabilized above 96%, marking that China's agricultural production seeds have all been upgraded and replaced. A number of new varieties of high-quality crops, livestock, poultry and aquatic products, such as super rice, Daheng broiler chickens and the Chinese prawn “Yellow Sea Series,” have accelerated their transformation and application. Fourth, the comprehensive mechanization level of major crop cultivation and harvesting exceeds 61%, marking that China's agricultural production mode has shifted from relying mainly on human and animal power for thousands of years to a new stage dominated by mechanical operations. Farmers' experience of “facing the yellow earth with backs to the sky, bending their waists tired from transplanting rice and cutting wheat” is becoming history. In 2014, the country's total agricultural machinery power reached 1.08 billion kilowatts, wheat basically achieved full-process mechanization, and the comprehensive mechanization rates for cultivation and harvesting of corn and rice both exceeded 75%. Fifth, the processing and conversion rate of major agricultural products exceeds 60%. China has moved from selling raw agricultural products to a new stage of selling manufactured products. In 2014, the total output value of China's agricultural product processing industry exceeded 23 trillion yuan, and its ratio to total agricultural output value reached 2.2:1.

Q: We feel that the rural environment is getting better and better and services are increasing. Could you talk about what major progress China's new rural construction has made during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period?

A: General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out many times that in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the rural side must not be left behind. Since the “12th Five-Year Plan,” all localities and departments, in accordance with the overall requirements of “production development, well-off living, civilized rural customs, tidy village appearance and democratic management,” have strengthened the building of a new socialist countryside, and gratifying changes have taken place in village appearance. The rural environment has become cleaner and cleaner. With garbage and sewage treatment as the focus, random piling and placement have been cleaned up, garbage bins have been provided, drainage ditches have been built, and ponds and rivers have been dredged, basically achieving unified garbage collection and orderly sewage discharge. Rural drinking water is safer, electricity is more convenient, roads are smoother, and houses are tidier. The drinking water safety problem of 298 million rural residents has been solved, and nearly 13 million rural dilapidated houses have been renovated cumulatively, with supporting facilities such as heating, drainage, sewage discharge and community roads improved at the same time. A number of new rural villages with smooth roads and bright lights, clear water and clean ponds, and tidy village appearance have appeared across the country. Leisure agriculture and rural tourism flourished. In 2014, national leisure agriculture operating revenue increased by nearly 1.5 times over 2010. Various leisure agriculture operating entities exceeded 1.8 million, annual reception reached 1 billion person-times, driving 30 million farmers to employment and income growth, becoming a new highlight for farmers to increase income and become prosperous, a new destination for urban residents' tourism and vacations, and a new carrier for inheriting farming civilization.