Leisure Agriculture Development Receives Policy Support: Ministry of Agriculture Issues Document Encouraging PPP Model
China Securities Network news, September 18, learned from the Ministry of Agriculture that the Ministry of Agriculture issued the "Notice on Actively Developing the Multiple Functions of Agriculture and Vigorously Promoting the Development of Leisure Agriculture," aimed at developing the multiple functions of agriculture, vigorously promoting the development of leisure agriculture, and striving to advance the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas.
The notice sets out the overall goals: by 2020, the scale of the industry should be further expanded, with visitor numbers and operating revenue continuously rising; a pattern of optimized layout, rich variety, complete functions and distinctive features should be basically formed; social benefits should be noticeably improved, with farmers engaged in leisure agriculture seeing relatively rapid income growth; development quality should be noticeably improved, service levels substantially raised, and capacity for sustainable development further enhanced, providing urban and rural residents with a high-quality leisure tourism experience where they can see mountains, view waters, and remember their nostalgic ties.
The notice proposes implementing relevant policy measures for leisure agriculture, including clarifying land-use policy. Under the premise of implementing the strictest farmland protection system, for leisure agriculture project land that strongly drives farmers' employment and income growth and has good development prospects, all localities should include it in overall land-use planning and annual plans with priority arrangements. Increase fiscal and tax support. All localities should earnestly promote the implementation of existing support policies. Central government funds related to rural construction should be appropriately tilted toward leisure agriculture cluster areas. Encourage all localities to increase support for leisure agriculture entrepreneurship development and infrastructure construction, driving mass entrepreneurship and mass innovation, and supporting local leisure agriculture to become bigger and stronger. Broaden financing channels. Encourage guarantee institutions to increase their service efforts for leisure agriculture, build bank-enterprise matchmaking platforms, and help operating entities solve financing difficulties. Encourage qualified leisure agriculture enterprises to go public. Explore new financing models, encourage the use of PPP models, crowdfunding models, Internet Plus models, issuance of private placement bonds and other methods to increase financial support for leisure agriculture. Among A-share listed companies, Shunxin Agriculture, Dahu Shares and other listed companies are involved in leisure agriculture and related businesses.
The full text of the notice is as follows:
Notice on Actively Developing the Multiple Functions of Agriculture and Vigorously Promoting the Development of Leisure Agriculture
In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of Central Document No. 1, the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Accelerating the Transformation of Agricultural Development Methods" (Guobanfa [2015] No. 59), the "Several Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Further Promoting Tourism Investment and Consumption" (Guobanfa [2015] No. 62) and other documents, further optimize policy measures, develop the multiple functions of agriculture, vigorously promote the development of leisure agriculture, and strive to advance the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas, the relevant matters are hereby notified as follows.
I. Fully understand the important significance of developing leisure agriculture
As an integration of the development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas, leisure agriculture has developed rapidly in recent years and has become a new form of industry and consumption. It has played an important role in promoting agricultural quality improvement and efficiency enhancement, driving farmers' employment and income growth, carrying forward Chinese farming civilization, building beautiful villages, and advancing integrated urban-rural development. However, due to the relatively short development time, there also exist problems such as insufficient service facilities, poor financing for operating entities, lagging infrastructure construction, and personnel quality urgently needing improvement, which have seriously affected the sustained and healthy development of the industry.
At present, China's economic development has entered a new normal, and agricultural and tourism development have entered a new stage. Developing leisure agriculture and advancing the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas is a strategic requirement for accelerating the transformation of agricultural development methods and advancing ecological civilization construction under the background of hard constraints on resources and environment; it is a strategic choice for broadening farmers' income growth channels and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects under the background of slowing economic growth; it is a strategic measure for creating an “upgraded version” of the rural economy, cultivating new growth points for domestic consumption, and realizing integrated urban-rural economic and social development under the background of deepening urbanization; and it is a strategic measure for introducing new forms of poverty alleviation industries, promoting poverty-stricken people in impoverished areas to shake off poverty and become well-off, and ensuring the goal of comprehensive poverty eradication is achieved on schedule by 2020, under the background of poverty alleviation and development work entering the final sprint stage. All localities should fully understand the major role of leisure agriculture in helping agriculture become stronger, farmers become richer, rural areas become more beautiful, and in building a Beautiful China and beautiful villages, further raise ideological awareness, improve policy measures, increase work efforts, and effectively promote the development of leisure agriculture.
II. Correctly grasp the overall requirements for developing leisure agriculture
It is necessary to thoroughly implement the relevant deployment requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, closely focusing on the goals and tasks of promoting agricultural quality improvement and efficiency enhancement, farmers' employment and income growth, and residents' leisure consumption, taking farming culture as the soul, beautiful countryside as the charm, ecological agriculture as the foundation, innovation and creativity as the path, and quaint villages as the form, integrating leisure agriculture development with modern agriculture, beautiful villages, ecological civilization, cultural and creative industry construction, and farmers' entrepreneurship and innovation, emphasizing standardized management, connotation enhancement, public services, cultural discovery and atmosphere creation, and promoting the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas.
Developing leisure agriculture must always adhere to the following principles: First, be agriculture-based and promote income growth. It is necessary to take agriculture as the foundation and rural areas as the carrier, highlight farmers' principal position, scientifically build a mechanism for sharing farmers' interests, enhance farmers' awareness of independent development, stimulate farmers' entrepreneurial and innovative vitality, and promote sustained and stable income growth for farmers; it is not permitted to arbitrarily occupy farmland to build high-end resort villages under the name of running farmhouse entertainment. Second, multi-party integration and mutual promotion. Leisure agriculture development should be organically integrated, mutually promoted and coordinated with farming culture inheritance, beautiful countryside construction, creative agriculture development, protection of traditional villages and traditional dwellings, targeted poverty alleviation, under-forest economy development, forest tourism, rural tourism, new rural construction and new urbanization, promoting integrated urban-rural development. Third, adapt to local conditions and highlight characteristics. It is necessary to combine resource endowments, cultural history, transportation location and industrial characteristics, and in suitable areas, adapt to local conditions, highlight characteristics, and develop appropriately. Fourth, standardize management and strengthen services. It is necessary to increase education and training and publicity and promotion efforts, travel civilly, operate in good faith, ensure safety, formulate standards and norms, guide industry self-discipline, and achieve standardized management and standardized services. Fifth, government guidance and multi-party participation. It is necessary to give play to the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, better give play to the government's role in macro guidance and standardized management, and mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties. Sixth, protect the environment and pursue sustainable development. It is necessary to follow the requirements of ecological civilization construction, adhere to the concept of combining development and protection and attaching equal importance to production and ecology, comprehensively consider the carrying capacity of resources and environment, increase ecological environmental protection efforts, and achieve comprehensive and sustainable development of economic, ecological and social benefits.
By 2020, the scale of the industry should be further expanded, with visitor numbers and operating revenue continuously rising; a pattern of optimized layout, rich variety, complete functions and distinctive features should be basically formed; social benefits should be noticeably improved, with farmers engaged in leisure agriculture seeing relatively rapid income growth; development quality should be noticeably improved, service levels substantially raised, and capacity for sustainable development further enhanced, providing urban and rural residents with a high-quality leisure tourism experience where they can see mountains, view waters, and remember their nostalgic ties.