Ministry of Agriculture meeting adopts opinions on agricultural science and technology innovation and extension to implement Document No. 1

Han Changfu chairs an executive meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, stressing

the need to push for major breakthroughs in agricultural science and technology innovation and extension

Our reporter Zhao Jingping reports: On June 13, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu chaired an executive meeting to thoroughly implement the central Document No. 1 and study and arrange the work of further accelerating agricultural science and technology innovation and extension. The meeting reviewed and in principle adopted the "Implementation Opinions of the Ministry of Agriculture on Thoroughly Implementing the Central Document No. 1 and Accelerating Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation and Extension."

The meeting pointed out that the 2012 central Document No. 1 highlighted agricultural science and technology innovation, further clarified the strategic position of agricultural science and technology in the overall situation of modern agriculture and economic and social development, defined the public, basic, and social nature of agricultural science and technology, and introduced a series of policy measures with broad coverage, strong targeting, and high value. This is a major decision made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council by scientifically grasping the laws of modern agricultural development and proceeding from both current conditions and long-term considerations, creating an unprecedented policy environment and development opportunities for the cause of agricultural science and technology. Agricultural departments at all levels must deeply comprehend the spirit of the central Document No. 1, truly unify their thinking and actions with the decisions and arrangements of the central authorities, firmly grasp the major opportunities, seize the momentum, accelerate implementation, and work solidly.

The "Opinions" further clarified the ideas and goals for accelerating agricultural science and technology innovation and extension in the new era: adhere to the path of agricultural science and technology development with Chinese characteristics, take ensuring national food security as the primary task, take raising land output rate, resource utilization rate, and labor productivity as the main goals, take equal emphasis on increasing production and efficiency, matching good seeds with good methods, combining agricultural machinery with agronomy, and coordinating production with ecology as the basic requirements, increase investment, improve institutional mechanisms, strengthen joint collaboration, build a technical system that meets the requirements of high-yield, high-quality, efficient, ecological, and safe agricultural development, and enhance the capacity of agricultural science and technology to guarantee the effective supply of major agricultural products, support farmers' continued income growth, and lead the transformation of the agricultural development mode. By the end of the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, the contribution rate of agricultural science and technology progress should reach above 55%, and the comprehensive mechanization level of major crop cultivation and harvesting should reach above 60%.

The "Opinions" put forward the main contents for accelerating agricultural science and technology innovation and extension. In terms of agricultural science and technology innovation, it is necessary to accelerate agricultural science and technology innovation oriented by industrial demand, deeply advance the construction of the modern agricultural industrial technology system, greatly improve the level of agricultural scientific research facilities and conditions, give prominence to seed industry innovation, actively cultivate strategic emerging industries such as the modern biological agriculture industry, innovate the institutional mechanisms of agricultural science and technology, and establish a modern agricultural research institute system. In terms of agricultural science and technology extension, it is necessary to deepen the reform and construction of the grassroots agricultural technology extension system, encourage social forces to participate in agricultural technology extension services, vigorously promote advanced and practical agricultural technologies, and focus on building a number of agricultural science and technology experimental and demonstration bases. In terms of agricultural education, it is necessary to revitalize and develop agricultural education, comprehensively improve the quality of agricultural education, accelerate the building of the agricultural science and technology workforce, and vigorously cultivate rural practical talent and new-type professional farmers. In terms of promoting international exchange and cooperation in agricultural science and technology, it is necessary to take mutual benefit and win-win as the starting point, make full use of abundant international agricultural science and technology resources, and achieve independent innovation and leapfrog development from a higher starting point. In terms of forming a joint work force, it is necessary to strengthen collaboration and cooperation among all parties, establish mechanisms for joint action and cooperation between higher and lower levels, between departments, between regions, and between disciplines, and strive to form consensus in thinking, gather strength in coordination, and support each other in action.

In terms of forming a joint work force, it is necessary to strengthen collaboration and cooperation among all parties, establish mechanisms for joint action and cooperation between higher and lower levels, between departments, between regions, and between disciplines, and strive to form consensus in thinking, gather strength in coordination, and support each other in action.

The meeting stressed that implementing the "Implementation Opinions" requires grasping both hands. With one hand, grasp the present: implement responsibility division, formulate implementation plans, put the already clarified policy measures and key tasks into practice, and ensure that there are documents, actions, and results; protect and mobilize the enthusiasm of agricultural science and technology personnel, and gather the strength of all sides to implement the central Document No. 1 and support agricultural science and technology, so as to provide strong support for achieving the target tasks of “two do everything possible and two strive to ensure.” With the other hand, grasp the long term: strengthen research on policy creation and mechanism innovation, increase policy coordination, persistently turn the principles and requirements clarified in the central Document No. 1 into policy measures, plan a number of major projects, deeply advance institutional and mechanism innovation, and promote the sustainable development of agricultural science and technology.

The meeting reviewed and in principle adopted the "Measures for the Administration of Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Monitoring (Draft)." The meeting stressed that the quality and safety of agricultural products is a major livelihood issue of great concern to the people, and agricultural departments at all levels must, in accordance with the requirements of the June 13 executive meeting of the State Council on further strengthening food safety work, effectively implement all tasks and persistently do a good job in agricultural product quality and safety work. It is necessary to effectively strengthen supervision, increase work intensity, adopt effective measures, maintain a high-pressure stance in investigating and handling “lean meat powder” and similar substances, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of regional and systemic agricultural product quality and safety incidents. It is necessary to strengthen positive publicity, guide public opinion well, and strive to form a powerful joint force for the campaign to rectify agricultural product quality and safety.

The meeting also studied other matters.