Steady progress made in transforming the agricultural development model and adjusting the structure, solid steps taken

This website news  Trials such as converting grain fields to fodder and grain-soybean rotation were launched early and quickly; the adjustment of the cropping structure, the transformation and upgrading of the herbivorous livestock industry, the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, and the mechanization and informatization of agriculture advanced steadily; the cultivation of practical rural talent and new-type farmers gradually deepened…… As summer grain production achieved a “twelfth consecutive increase,” the steps China's agriculture took in transforming the development model and adjusting the structure were equally solid and forceful.

Since entering the new century, China's agricultural and rural economy has continued to improve, grain production has achieved an “eleventh consecutive increase,” farmers' incomes have achieved a “fifth consecutive rapid increase,” and the building of modern agriculture has made new progress. But various risks and challenges in agricultural and rural economic development have also gradually accumulated and clustered, the double squeeze of the “cost floor” and the “price ceiling” has grown ever greater, and the double constraints of resource conditions and environmental pressure have grown ever tighter, so agriculture urgently needs to seek new breakthroughs in transforming its development model. At the end of last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed at the Central Economic Work Conference that we must unswervingly accelerate the transformation of the agricultural development model and shift as quickly as possible to intensive development that gives equal weight to quantity, quality and efficiency, focuses on raising competitiveness, focuses on agricultural technological innovation, and focuses on sustainability. Premier Li Keqiang pointed out at the Central Rural Work Conference that to break the two “tight bands” of the ecological environment and resource conditions, we can only accelerate agricultural modernization and promote the transformation of the agricultural development model. These important arrangements pointed out the direction and clarified the tasks for agricultural development after the “eleventh consecutive increase” in grain production. In accordance with the arrangements and requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, agricultural departments took the initiative at a high starting point, closely centering on the main line of work of “stabilizing grain and increasing income while adjusting the structure, improving quality and efficiency while transforming the model,” highlighted key points, broke through difficulties, and ensured the implementation of all key tasks, achieving remarkable results.

Grain output and production capacity were raised simultaneously. In the first half of this year, China's summer grain again had a bumper harvest at a high starting point and on a high base. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, this year's national summer grain output totaled 282.1 billion jin, an increase of 8.9 billion jin over the previous year, and summer grain production achieved a “twelfth consecutive increase.” At the same time, the designation of permanent basic farmland got underway, high-standard farmland construction advanced from point to area, the action to protect and improve cultivated land quality was officially launched, green yield-increase model research reached the wheat fields, and high-yield grain creation reached a new level. Grain production is shifting from focusing mainly on annual output to a path of sustainable development that stores grain in the land and in technology.

Structural adjustment and layout optimization advanced simultaneously. The “Guiding Opinions on Further Adjusting and Optimizing the Agricultural Structure” and the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Accelerated Development of the Herbivorous Livestock Industry” were issued; trials of converting grain fields to fodder were carried out in the Three-North region, trials of grain-soybean rotation were carried out in 30 counties in Northeast China, and the structure of grain and cash crops and of planting and breeding was continuously optimized. The action to upgrade the staple food processing industry was advanced, and the creation of China's most beautiful leisure villages and national leisure agriculture demonstrations was carried out in depth. At present, there are more than 1.5 million farm-based leisure businesses nationwide, benefiting more than 30 million farmers, and the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries is accelerating. At the same time, based on resource advantages and suited to local conditions, localities plant grain where grain is suitable, cash crops where cash crops are suitable, grass where grass is suitable, raise livestock where livestock is suitable, and fish where fish is suitable. The agricultural structure is gradually being optimized, raised and refined, and an advantageous regional layout and specialized production pattern is gradually taking shape.

⟦NL> Resource use and environmental protection were implemented simultaneously. Since the beginning of this year, eight ministries and commissions including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly issued the “National Agricultural Sustainable Development Plan (2015-2030),” continuously strengthening the top-level design for the protection of agricultural resources and the environment. The Ministry of Agriculture launched a battle against agricultural non-point source pollution, carried out an action to achieve zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, implemented trials for the protection and utilization of black soil in major grain-producing counties in Northeast China, the remediation of cultivated land polluted by heavy metals, and comprehensive treatment in areas with severe groundwater overexploitation, and cooperated with relevant departments to launch a new round of the project to return farmland to forest and grassland, grasping protection with one hand and treatment with the other, and promoting the shift of agricultural resource use toward conservation and efficiency. Zhao Jincheng, a large grain grower in Qihe County, Shandong Province, said that in the past no one wanted the cow dung and pig manure from farms, but now everyone is eager for it. As the amount of organic fertilizer used gradually increased, the amount of chemical fertilizer used fell by 30 percent, yet wheat yield per mu rose from 700 to 800 jin to more than 1,300 jin.

Moderately scaled operations and the cultivation of operating entities accelerated simultaneously. The work of confirming, registering and certifying land contracted management rights was steadily advanced, and guiding opinions on the supervision of and risk prevention for industrial and commercial capital leasing agricultural land and on the confirmation, registration and certification of rural land contracted management rights were successively formulated and issued to guide the orderly transfer of land. As of now, the area of transferred household contracted cultivated land accounts for more than 30.4 percent of the area under household contracting contracts. Support for new-type operating entities such as large growers and breeders, family farms and farmers' cooperatives was continuously increased, and the new-type professional farmer cultivation project and the modern young farm owner plan were steadily implemented. As of the end of June, farmers' professional cooperatives registered with industry and commerce nationwide reached 1.412 million. As a demonstration province for province-wide advancement of new-type professional farmer cultivation under the Ministry of Agriculture, Jiangsu has 14,000 grain, vegetable and fruit family farms, whose output and returns per unit of land are more than 20 percent higher than those of ordinary farmers.

Scientific and technological support and equipment guarantees were upgraded simultaneously. In transforming the agricultural model, science and technology are key. Since the end of last year, the Ministry of Agriculture has carried out trials for reform of seed industry rights and interests, “empowering” and “yielding benefits” to research institutions and personnel, breaking through the institutional “shackles” on innovation-driven agricultural development. With the technical research of the green yield-increase model as a backing, wheat in Qianying Village, Shenzhou City, Hebei Province, was watered only once yet yielded 1,327.6 jin per mu, setting a new wheat yield record for the Heilonggang watershed. In the upsurge of “Internet plus,” trials bringing information services into villages and households will promote the use of information technologies such as the Internet of Things to transform traditional agriculture and achieve precision and intelligence in agricultural production.