High-standard farmland construction receives 23.5 billion yuan in central government financial support
On September 7, the reporter learned from the Ministry of Finance that in 2015 the central government had allocated 23.565 billion yuan in comprehensive agricultural development funds for high-standard farmland projects, which are expected to build 27.7745 million mu of high-standard farmland, with an average increase in grain production capacity of more than 100 kg per mu.
The National Agricultural Comprehensive Development Office has taken multiple measures and pursued innovation-driven development to ensure that high-standard farmland construction achieves better results.
First, highlight key priorities and carry out project construction in line with local conditions. In the implementation of high-standard farmland projects, the focus is on basic farmland water conservancy construction, with coordinated use of water conservancy, agricultural, forestry, scientific and technological measures to comprehensively improve the project area, and allow the specific engineering works and the proportion of investment in each sub-measure to be determined according to the principle of “supplementing whatever is lacking.” At the same time, in accordance with the central government's requirements for developing water-saving agriculture, greater attention is given to and encouragement is provided for project areas to develop water-saving irrigation agriculture and dryland farming in line with local conditions, so as to improve water resource use efficiency.
Second, increase investment and further raise the per-mu investment standard. In order to raise project construction standards, the upper limit for per-mu financial investment in high-standard farmland construction projects was raised from 1,300 yuan to 1,500 yuan, an increase of 15.4%, achieving an organic alignment with the investment standards in the National Overall Plan for High-Standard Farmland Construction. At the same time, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang and other places may further appropriately raise investment standards according to local realities and construction needs.
Third, streamline administration and delegate power, and increase support for new-type agricultural business entities. Starting in 2015, the authority to review and approve land improvement project plans was delegated to provincial-level agricultural comprehensive development agencies, with the National Agricultural Comprehensive Development Office responsible for filing management, further reducing approval links, improving approval efficiency, and accelerating project construction progress. Support for new-type agricultural business entities was further increased, and exploration was made to establish a new mechanism integrating the construction, use and management and protection of agricultural comprehensive development projects, so as to ensure that projects deliver benefits over the long term.
Fourth, innovate mechanisms and leverage financial capital investment in high-standard farmland construction. Active efforts were made to give play to the leveraging role of fiscal funds, and pilot programs were jointly carried out with three financial institutions, namely China Development Bank, Agricultural Development Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China, to explore support for high-standard farmland construction projects implemented by state-owned farms, leading enterprises, farmer cooperatives, specialized large-scale farmers, family farms and other new-type business entities through two support methods, interest subsidies and grants, so as to leverage financial capital investment in high-standard farmland construction.