Spring plowing unfolds across the board from south to north, with steady strides in transforming the agricultural development model and adjusting the structure

Report from this website: It is again the time of the “Spring Equinox”. A northern farming proverb says, "At the Spring Equinox the wheat rises, and every moment is worth a thousand pieces of gold"; a southern farming proverb says, "In the third month come Awakening of Insects and then the Spring Equinox; plant trees, apply fertilizer, and plow the land deep." At present, most regions across the country have fully entered the busy season of spring field management and spring sowing. According to the Ministry of Agriculture's agricultural situation monitoring and reports from the provinces, all localities have earnestly implemented the spirit of Central Document No. 1 and the national video conference on spring field management and spring plowing preparations, seizing the early initiative, stepping up efforts, and strengthening measures to fully advance the smooth progress of spring plowing production.

This year's spring plowing production has gotten off to a good start, marked by four indicators:

First, the foundation for summer grain production is relatively good.

The area is expected to be stable with a slight increase, and the current crop growth is among the better years in recent times. During the wheat green-up period, the proportion of first- and second-class seedlings was 88.8%, up 1.8 percentage points year on year, the highest proportion for the same period in nearly a decade. In particular, wheat growth in Henan and Shandong provinces, which together account for more than 40% of the national wheat area, was noticeably better than the previous year.

⟦NL> Second, grain planting intentions are stable with a slight increase.

According to the planting intention survey, this year's national grain area is stable with a slight increase, the cotton and sugar crop areas continue to be reduced, the oilseed area is flat with a slight decrease, and the vegetable area is expanding.

Third, agricultural inputs are sufficient in quantity, stable in price, and high in delivery rate.

Supplies of “two-hybrid” seeds are ample, and supplies of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural film can meet spring plowing demand. According to monitoring by our ministry, affected by the decline in international fossil energy prices, the prices of agricultural inputs such as chemical fertilizers and diesel in February generally showed a downward trend compared with the same period last year, which helps reduce input costs and raise farmers' enthusiasm for production.<

b>Fourth, preparations for spring plowing are solid.

Rice-producing areas in the south prepared rice seedling beds early and vigorously promoted centralized rice seedling raising and mechanical transplanting. The northwest region vigorously promoted spring film mulching to fully preserve soil moisture and ensure spring sowing. The northeast region made preparations early for combating spring waterlogging and spring drought. At present, early rice in the south China region has entered the sowing and seedling-raising period, with progress comparable to normal years. Greenhouse seedling raising for rice in the northeast is already in place, laying a good foundation for timely spring sowing and full stands in a single sowing.

Reports from various localities indicate that this year's spring plowing production still faces some difficulties and problems. These are mainly manifested as “two heavy tasks”:

First, wheat growth is uneven, and the task of spring field management is heavy.

This year, the growth of rice-stubble wheat in the Jianghuai region is weaker than last year, some wheat in the Huang-Huai-Hai region shows an obvious tendency toward excessive growth, soil moisture is insufficient in parts of southwestern Hebei and some areas of Henan, and the warm winter has led to a large overwintering base of pests and diseases, making the spring tasks of drought resistance and disease prevention in wheat field management arduous.

Second, climate uncertainty is great, and the task of disaster resistance and ensuring spring sowing is heavy.

Because the El Nino event will weaken noticeably this spring and summer, the uncertainty of climate prediction is very high. According to forecasts by the meteorological department, this year's climate in China will be a moderately poor year; in spring, spring waterlogging may occur in the eastern part of the northeast region and spring drought in the western part, and continuous rainy weather may occur in the Yangtze River basin, bringing difficulties to spring plowing land preparation and timely sowing. In response to possible problems, the Ministry of Agriculture made early arrangements and, on the second day after the Start of Spring, deployed spring field management and spring plowing preparations, and formulated and issued a spring field management plan. It required all localities to organize and mobilize well and quickly set off an upsurge in spring field management and spring plowing preparations. It successively dispatched working groups and expert guidance groups many times to major grain and oil-producing areas to guide spring plowing and spring management work, promote the implementation of key technical measures, and make every effort to promote the smooth development of spring plowing production, thereby gaining the initiative for a bumper summer grain harvest and a bumper grain harvest for the whole year.

This year is a key year for comprehensively deepening reform and also an important year for adjusting the agricultural structure and transforming the development model. “Spring is the beginning of the year, and agriculture leads the way.” Agricultural departments at all levels, in accordance with central arrangements, closely focused on the main line of work of “stabilizing grain, increasing income, adjusting structure, improving quality, increasing efficiency, and transforming the model,” based themselves on fighting disasters to secure a bumper harvest, relied on scientific and technological progress, strengthened guidance and services, and made every effort to implement all measures for spring plowing and spring sowing, striving to make a good start and take a good first step in transforming the agricultural development model and working to maintain the good momentum of grain and agricultural development.

First, optimize the structure and stabilize the area.

Implement support policies for grain production well and guide farmers to plant grain well. Optimize the structural layout, concentrate efforts on protecting key areas, and stabilize the area of staple grain varieties such as rice and wheat. Reduce corn planting in high-latitude and arid areas according to local conditions, switching to drought-tolerant crops such as miscellaneous grains, miscellaneous beans, potatoes, and silage corn, and strive to keep the grain area stable.

Second, vigorously grasp scientific and technological innovation to increase per-unit yield.

Continue to do a good job in technical guidance for important links, do a good job in spring field management, and, according to crop growth and climate characteristics, combine promotion and control and implement key technologies by region and by crop. Give prominence to high-yield grain creation and green yield-increasing model research, make every effort to overcome technical bottlenecks affecting per-unit yield increases, quality improvement, efficiency increases, and environmental improvement, integrate a set of replicable technical models featuring high and stable yields, cost savings and efficiency gains, and green environmental protection, and build a group of demonstration zones that advance both yield increase and efficiency increase and coordinate production and ecology in a sustainable way, promoting balanced yield increases.

Third, strengthen infrastructure construction to raise capacity.

Accelerate the designation of permanent basic farmland, strengthen farmland infrastructure construction, and accelerate the construction of a group of high-standard farmland that ensures harvests despite drought or flooding, supporting the stable development of grain. In particular, strengthen the protection and improvement of cultivated land quality, carry out the “Cultivated Land Quality Protection and Improvement Action” well, improve soil, build up soil fertility, balance nutrients, and restore cultivated land, so as to achieve “storing grain in the land.” At the same time, launch and implement the “Action to Achieve Zero Growth in Chemical Fertilizer Use by 2020” and the “Action to Achieve Zero Growth in Pesticide Use by 2020” to achieve cost savings, efficiency gains, and environmental friendliness.

Fourth, strengthen disaster prevention and mitigation to ensure safety.

Give prominence to preventing disasters such as drought, floods, and low-temperature freezing damage, make preparations early for combating spring drought and low-temperature spring waterlogging, and strive to reduce disaster losses. Give prominence to monitoring and prevention and control in source areas and perennial heavily affected areas of major pests and diseases that are migratory, epidemic, or explosive, especially doing a good job in early prevention and early control and timely prevention and control of the “two diseases and one pest” of wheat stripe rust, fusarium head blight, and aphids, vigorously promote unified prevention and control and joint prevention and joint control, resolutely curb outbreaks and epidemics, and achieve grain recovery from pests. At the same time, vigorously grasp supervision of the agricultural input market, ensure supply, and ensure safety.