Reform of the farmland transfer system is poised to take off, and this is how Li Mingjun sees it

“The 2015 Fourth China International Agri-Business Summit Forum” was held in Beijing on May 17. Pictured above is Li Mingjun, Dean of CEIBS. (Image source: Sina Finance, photographed by Liang Bin)

Sina Finance News - The “2015 Fourth China International Agri-Business Summit Forum” was held in Beijing on May 17. Li Mingjun, Dean of CEIBS, said in his speech that since the 18th National Congress, discussion and practice of new-type urbanization have gradually escalated, reform of the farmland transfer system is poised to take off, and the marriage of agriculture with capital and the joining of hands between agriculture and the internet are in full swing and attracting widespread attention. At the same time, Li Mingjun said bluntly that a series of problems such as farmland pollution and food safety are also becoming increasingly prominent, and the income level of farmers engaged in agricultural production directly affects the stability of rural society and the process of urbanization.

The following is the transcript of the speech:

Li Mingjun: Distinguished leaders, distinguished guests, good morning, everyone!

First of all, on behalf of CEIBS, I warmly welcome all the guests attending the 2015 Fourth China International Agri-Business Summit Forum. The Agri-Business Forum, jointly organized by CEIBS and the Chic Biosphere Urban-Rural Integration Research Institute, has been established for four years now, and over these four years the age-old topic of agriculture, rural areas and farmers has been constantly encountering new opportunities and challenges.

The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed building a new-type agricultural management system that combines intensification, organization and socialization. After the 18th National Congress, discussion and practice of new-type urbanization have gradually escalated, and reform of the farmland transfer system is poised to take off. At the same time, as a virgin land within the frontiers of modern business, the marriage of agriculture with capital and the joining of hands between agriculture and the internet are in full swing and attracting widespread attention. However, what cannot be ignored is that a series of problems such as farmland pollution and food safety are also becoming increasingly prominent, and the income level of farmers engaged in agricultural production directly affects the stability of rural society and the process of urbanization.

In the 20 years since its founding, CEIBS has combined the world's advanced management experience with China's realities, and within a globally broad vision has constantly pursued China's depth. China is a major agricultural country with 5000 years of history. In 1938, Fei Xiaotong's rural economy opened a breach in the unique ecology of China's rural economy and its heavy rural social traditions. Even today, we still feel that to solve China's problems of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, we need both to benchmark against advanced international experience and to study in depth the actual conditions and social traditions of China's rural areas.

I remember that at the second Agri-Business Summit Forum, Professor Wen Tiejun expressed some pertinent views on the new agriculture, rural areas and farmers:

The first, called cooperative agriculture. The second, called stable rural areas, or sustainable rural areas. The third, called safe agriculture.

Today's forum can be described as gathering a hall full of distinguished guests. We welcome guests from the Netherlands, domestic policy makers, well-known scholars, financiers, investors, pioneers of the internet and so on. Everyone is gathered together, and year after year we all look forward to sharing the substance. CEIBS is a school with a deep sense of social responsibility and a sense of mission for the times. May our discussion here today not only accumulate experience for innovative agri-business models, but also add bricks and tiles to the broad future of rural areas.

Thank you all, and I wish the forum complete success.