2017 Technical Guidance on Rice Production in Changzhou City

2017 is a year for deepening the advancement of agricultural supply-side structural reform. All localities should closely focus on the theme of “promoting transformation and upgrading, building premium agriculture,” adhere to new development concepts, and in accordance with the development requirements of “efficient industry, branded products, green production, diversified functions, and a diversified market,” clarify ideas and innovate measures, actively promote “rice field+” and “rice+,” accelerate the promotion, tailored to local conditions, of integrated rice-field ecological circular farming, high-quality rice, cost-saving and consumption-reducing, and green efficiency-enhancing technologies, fully tap the potential of rice to “improve quality, reduce costs, and increase efficiency,” and provide strong technical support for promoting agricultural efficiency, increasing farmers' income, and making rural areas greener.

Key work should achieve the “seven strengthenings”:

(1) Strengthen the matching of good varieties with good methods to promote high-quality rice production. All localities should, in accordance with the requirements of the city's modern agriculture “1185” layout plan, ensure that the city's rice planting area remains stable at more than 1 million mu. In terms of varieties, mainly early-maturing late japonica rice, with the main promotions being Wuyunjing 23, Wuyunjing 30, and Wuyunjing 31; vigorously demonstrate and promote rice varieties with excellent eating quality; at the same time, pay attention to the combined use of varieties with different maturity periods to achieve staggered harvesting and earlier market launch. In terms of technology, promote the rice-wheat annual green yield-increasing research model and supporting technologies to resolve the crop rotation conflict caused by late rice harvest and late wheat sowing; promote precision quantitative cultivation technology for high-yield machine-transplanted high-quality rice, clean and efficient production technology for good-tasting rice, and standardized full-process safe pesticide application technology for high-quality japonica rice, so as to achieve coordination among “high quality, high yield, high efficiency, ecology, and safety” in rice production. Further strengthen the popularization and promotion of the “four main promotions” technologies, increase experimental and demonstration efforts for new varieties and new technologies, and accelerate the promotion of high-quality rice production throughout the city.

(2) Strengthen the construction of centralized seedling raising to improve the overall quality of seedlings. All localities should take the projects of green, high-yield and high-efficiency rice creation and centralized seedling raising and supply as the starting point, build high-standard centralized seedling raising bases, continuously expand the scale of centralized seedling raising, and solve the problems of scattered seedling raising by thousands of households and the difficulty of raising strong seedlings. Vigorously promote the “five substitutions” seedling raising technologies, including substrate replacing nutrient soil, facility micro-sprinkler irrigation replacing manual flooding irrigation, hard ground and hard trays replacing soft trays and soft soil, mechanical sowing replacing manual broadcasting, and tray stacking and darkening germination replacing pre-sowing germination, so as to improve the level and efficiency of seedling raising and effectively enhance the overall quality of seedlings. Strengthen training and guidance on seedling raising technology, standardize the technical operation procedures for centralized seedling raising, and ensure the cultivation of strong seedlings of the appropriate age. According to the previous crop harvest period, farming season for land preparation, and the workload of rice transplanters, sow in stages and batches according to the suitable seedling age of 15-20 days, and eliminate transplanting with over-age seedlings.

(3) Strengthen the adjustment of planting structure to increase the composite returns from rice cultivation. Changzhou is located in the Taihu rice region, with abundant agricultural resources such as temperature, light, water, and soil, and has a good foundation for developing integrated rice-field ecological circular farming. All localities should use projects such as agricultural support and protection subsidies (moderate-scale grain operation) and green, high-yield and high-efficiency rice creation as platforms, vigorously guide and promote the adjustment of planting structure, and accelerate the popularization and application of efficient technical models. In areas with conditions, foundation, technology, experience, and market demand, promote, tailored to local conditions, rice-duck co-cropping, rice-fishery symbiosis, and crop-livestock integration and other rice-field planting and breeding combination models, as well as “rice+potato,” “rice+bean celery+greens,” “rice+Paradisea celery+tomato,” and “rice+watermelon (strawberry)” and other “rice+N” planting models, to increase the composite returns from rice cultivation. Attention should be paid to creating typical examples of planting structure adjustment and giving play to their demonstration and leading role.

(4) Strengthen green rice production to promote ecological and sustainable development. All localities should be guided by simplification and labor saving, greening, and high efficiency, aim at green ecological environmental protection, efficient resource utilization, and improved production efficiency, strictly follow the overall requirements of the Ministry and Province for green, high-yield and high-efficiency rice creation, combine them with local rice production realities, scientifically formulate green, high-yield and high-efficiency rice creation plans, select areas with convenient transportation, good production conditions, and high technical levels to carry out green, high-yield and high-efficiency creation, and build high-standard demonstration plots. With precision quantitative cultivation as the core, reasonable variety matching and crop rotation connection, integrate and promote technologies such as fertilization according to local conditions and seedlings and precise diagnosis and pesticide use, promote reduction and substitution and reduction of pest damage, greatly increase the seasonal utilization rate of fertilizer, reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer, promote high-clearance and low-clearance plant protection machinery and high-efficiency, low-toxicity, low-residue pesticides and biological pesticides, reduce the amount of chemical pesticides, reduce environmental pollution, and promote ecological and sustainable development. Actively demonstrate and promote rice-field fallow and rotation models such as “rice field+green manure” and “rice field+winter plowing and sun-drying clods+N,” promote the combination of land use and land nurturing with fallow and rotation, fertilize the soil, and improve the productive capacity of cultivated land.

(5) Strengthen the creation of rice brands to increase the visibility of Changzhou rice. All localities should be market-oriented, strengthen market investigation and analysis, accurately position themselves, vigorously develop pollution-free, green, organic, and geographical indication agricultural products, and raise awareness of brand-based development. Strengthen collaboration to form synergy, explore the construction of industrial alliances, give play to the role of industrial alliances in promoting rice brand building, accelerate the creation of high-quality rice brands in our city, and build “regional public brands.” Increase brand publicity and marketing, actively organize rice enterprises to participate in various rice expos, trade fairs, promotion meetings, and tasting events, hold high-quality rice evaluation activities, make full use of media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, and forums, and leverage the appeal of internet influencers and Weibo celebrities to attract more people to pay attention to and discuss Changzhou rice, do everything possible to make Changzhou rice brands famous, increase brand visibility and influence, and turn “Changzhou rice” into “good rice” and “famous rice.”

(6) Strengthen the development of the rice industry to enhance the value of the entire rice industry chain. All localities should effectively strengthen the construction of high-quality rice industrialization bases, build a group of high-quality rice industrialization demonstration bases with a good ecological environment, large production scale, superior market location, strong technical capacity, and a high degree of industrialization, integrating production, storage, processing, and sales. Vigorously promote the application of science and technology, culture, and other elements in the rice industry, enhance the value of the entire rice industry chain, actively carry out activities such as the creation of “rice culture” towns, creative rice-field text and portrait design, and hands-on real-time rice farming experiences, build rice leisure tourism parks, and promote the integration of “rice field+” and “rice+” with “tourism+” and “ecology+”; research and develop various convenience foods and baby foods, such as instant rice, instant rice noodles, germinated brown rice, nutritious rice, and other deeply processed products; pay attention to the development and utilization of rice husk and rice bran resources, such as rice bran oil, rice bran nutrients, rice bran pharmaceutical products, and other high-value-added products.

(7) Strengthen innovation in service methods to improve the level of production guidance. All localities should, according to the requirements of the Provincial General Extension Station, highlight strengthened service guidance for large growers, family farms, specialized cooperatives, and other new business entities, establish an information database of large-scale operating entities, comprehensively and accurately grasp planting scale, planting types, varieties, production conditions, technical needs, and market information, implement targeted services based on basic information, and improve the level of large-scale production and the efficiency of large-scale operations. Extensively use new media such as WeChat, Weibo, and QQ to transmit weather information, seedling condition information, production technical opinions, and related policies during the growth period to farmers as quickly as possible, and effectively improve the rate of technical guidance in place. Continue to implement the expert point-linked guidance system, organize experts at all levels to link and guide to counties (cities, districts) and townships (towns), encourage paired services with new business entities, and promote the popularization and implementation of key technical measures. Encourage and guide agricultural technicians, large grain growers, and specialized cooperative organizations to lead and create typical demonstration plots for rice transformation and upgrading, organize on-site observations at different levels during key growth periods, and through typical leadership, demonstrate and drive increased production and income.