Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi Join Forces to Build Modern Agriculture Bases and Advance Agricultural Cooperation
The three provinces of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi are important national agricultural commodity bases. The urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River has sound agricultural infrastructure, a complete range of industries, strong scientific research capabilities, and accelerating rural reform, and agricultural transformation and upgrading is at a critical stage. Dai Guizhou, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture, said that Hubei's agricultural departments will seize opportunities, take the initiative to connect, and jointly build modern agriculture bases in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
Q: What role does developing modern agriculture play in the development of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River?
Dai Guizhou: Modern agriculture involves many related industries and has long industrial chains and strong driving effects. As economic development enters a new normal, with growth shifting from high speed to medium-to-high speed and industries moving from low-end to medium-to-high-end, developing modern agriculture plays an important supporting role in stabilizing growth, adjusting structure and improving people's livelihoods. In recent years, the pace of new urbanization in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River has accelerated, but as a major producing area of bulk agricultural products, traditional agriculture still accounts for a relatively large proportion, and the ecological environment and resource conditions constraining sustainable agricultural development are becoming tighter. Compared with the rapidly advancing industrialization, urbanization and informatization, the “short plank” of agricultural modernization must be filled as soon as possible. Advancing the construction of modern agriculture bases in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River will not only help steadily increase the national production capacity of bulk agricultural products such as grain and oil, but will also promote the transformation and upgrading of regional agriculture, open up a new path for agricultural development featuring “high output efficiency, safe products, resource conservation and environmental friendliness”, and play a demonstration and driving role nationwide.
Q: What measures has Hubei already taken to advance agricultural cooperation among Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi?
Dai Guizhou: Over the past few years, our province's agricultural departments have actively advanced agricultural cooperation among Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi, sought national support policies, increased funding input, strengthened industrial development cooperation, established scientific and technological innovation bases, and advanced the construction of modern agriculture in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
First, a coordination mechanism was established. In May 2012, initiated by our province's agricultural departments, the agricultural departments of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi signed the Agricultural Cooperation Agreement among Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi in Wuhan. They built a platform for exchange and cooperation and established a cooperation promotion mechanism among the three provincial departments of agriculture.
Second, agricultural science and technology cooperation was promoted. A national key laboratory for hybrid rice was jointly built, and innovation in germplasm resources and research and development of new super rice varieties were carried out. Joint research was conducted on green yield-increasing models, the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy was strengthened, and full-process mechanized production of rice and rapeseed was advanced. Seed industry cooperation was strengthened, and research and development, production and processing bases were built in Wuhan, Jingmen and other places.
Third, cooperation on agricultural ecology and resource protection was advanced. The three provinces jointly carried out protection of aquatic species resources in the Yangtze River and artificial proliferation and release. They strengthened monitoring and prevention and control of major crop pests and diseases and animal epidemics, cooperated in monitoring invasive agricultural pests, and prevented and controlled agricultural non-point source pollution.
Q: What measures will Hubei take next to advance the construction of modern agriculture bases in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River?
Dai Guizhou: Hubei's agricultural departments will act in line with the trend and advance agricultural cooperation among Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi at a higher level and to a higher standard, building a core region for stabilizing grain production, increasing output and ensuring supply; a pioneering region for the integrated upgrading of the primary, secondary and tertiary agricultural industries; a demonstration region for resource-conserving and environment-friendly agriculture; and an innovative region that promotes “synchronization of the four modernizations” through agricultural modernization. First, explore new models of coordinated industrial development, carry out joint research on common technologies for industrial development, establish and improve seed industry research and development and production bases in central China, develop deep processing of agricultural products, advance joint restructuring of enterprises, and strengthen advantageous and characteristic industries such as high-quality rice, double-low rapeseed, citrus and hogs. Second, strengthen cooperation in agricultural product markets, build a number of regional trading centers for advantageous agricultural products, accelerate the development of agricultural e-commerce, advance the construction of the agricultural Internet of Things, strengthen monitoring and early warning of agricultural product markets, and promote complementarity of advantages in agricultural resources and products. Third, advance the construction of modern agriculture demonstration zones and rural reform pilot zones. Give play to the leading role of national modern agriculture demonstration zones such as Wuhan, establish and improve the rural property rights trading system, cultivate new types of agricultural business entities, and innovate the agricultural socialized service system. Do a good job of connecting with the national level and scientifically formulate the “13th Five-Year Plan” for modern agricultural development.