Ministry of Agriculture official answers reporters' questions at the NPC and CPPCC news center
On the afternoon of March 6, Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Xinrong, and Chief Economist and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture Bi Meijia, answered questions from Chinese and foreign reporters at the NPC and CPPCC news center on agricultural and rural economic development.
What is the current food security situation?
——China's grain production capacity has stabilized at a relatively high level of development
Food is the first necessity of the people, and the first question from reporters at the press conference concerned China's food security. Yu Xinrong said that China's current food security situation is very good. “In 2014, we overcame the impact of severe drought in some areas and various natural disasters, and achieved an ‘eleventh consecutive increase’ in total grain output, setting several new highs: First, total grain output hit a new high, reaching 1,214.2 billion jin last year; grain yield per unit area hit a new high, reaching 359 kg; per capita grain availability was the highest in history, approaching 900 jin. Our country has reached the 1,000 billion jin mark for 8 consecutive years, all of which shows that China's grain production capacity has steadily risen to a relatively high level of development.”
In response to the question of why China's grain imports have increased rather than decreased despite a bumper harvest, Yu Xinrong said that in recent years our grain imports have been continuously increasing, reaching their highest level last year, with total imports of about 100 million tons, of which more than 70% was soybeans, reaching 71.4 million tons, while imports of cereals were only 19.52 million tons, accounting for only 3.2% of that year's total grain output. Among these, imports of corn and wheat declined, while only rice and some industrial-use grain increased. Therefore, China's grain demand is becoming increasingly diversified, and we are no longer simply satisfied with staple food grains; demand for grain for industrial and other uses is growing day by day.
Yu Xinrong stressed that advancing agricultural modernization means promoting the transformation of agricultural development modes and structural adjustment, and “no sharp decline in grain output and no sharp drop in grain production capacity” will serve as one of the important criteria for judging the success of “adjustment” and “transformation.” The Chinese people's rice bowl must always be held firmly in our own hands, and the bowl must mainly contain Chinese grain. We must always unswervingly advance the new national food security strategy and ensure the realization of “basic self-sufficiency in cereals and absolute security of staple food grains.”
How can the quality and safety of agricultural products be ensured?
——We adopt a resolute “zero tolerance” attitude toward problems
“The quality and safety of China's agricultural products is generally reliable, and consumer safety is guaranteed.” Yu Xinrong said that the Party and the government have always attached great importance to the quality and safety of agricultural products. Judging from the pass rates of spot checks conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture on the quality and safety of vegetables, livestock and poultry, and aquatic products nationwide in recent years, they have basically remained stable at above 96%, and have also shown a continuously rising trend. Of course, in certain areas, for certain varieties, and during certain periods, cases of violations of laws and regulations do occur from time to time. But regarding the issue of the quality and safety of agricultural products, the attitude of government regulatory authorities is resolute; even if there is a 1% problem, we will make 100% effort and resolutely adopt a “zero tolerance” attitude.
Afterward, Yu Xinrong said that all sectors of society are very welcome to strengthen supervision over the quality and safety of agricultural products, and the Ministry of Agriculture will further strengthen the local responsibility system for the quality and safety of agricultural products, continuously raise the level of supervision over the quality and safety of agricultural products, and provide consumers with safe and reassuring agricultural products.
What should be done about pesticide and chemical fertilizer pollution of the environment?
——Transforming the agricultural development mode is about reducing pressure and burdens on agriculture
When mentioning agricultural non-point source pollution, Yu Xinrong said that our important agricultural natural resources, such as water and land, have indeed reached the point of being overdrawn. Therefore, we must place the agricultural modernization of transforming development modes and adjusting structure in an important position.
“However, we are now transforming proactively, not being forced to transform. China's grain output has stabilized at above 1,100 billion jin, giving us very ample room; it is under the condition that agriculture can remain stable that we fully adjust, guard against, or overcome unfavorable factors, and achieve sustained, healthy, and steady agricultural development.” Yu Xinrong added.
Yu Xinrong said that the purpose of this structural adjustment and transformation of production modes is to push agricultural development from extensive management that relies on resource consumption, heavy inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and ecological and environmental strain, toward two emphases——that is, emphasizing equal importance to output, quality, and efficiency; and emphasizing intensification, conservation, and innovation, and striving to blaze a new path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics featuring high output efficiency, safe products, resource conservation, and environmental friendliness.
How can the advantages of seed research be better brought into play?
——The transformation of research achievements in the seed industry has produced obvious results
“A single seed can change the world. The hybrid rice developed by our country not only benefits the Chinese people, but also benefits the people of the world, and has contributed to world food security.” Yu Xinrong said.
At the same time, Yu Xinrong said that China's current seed industry science and technology still has certain weaknesses, so the General Office of the State Council specifically issued a document to accelerate the development of the seed industry, and support for reform has been continuously increased. The key is how to better mobilize the enthusiasm of researchers; second, it is necessary to further break down the fragmented situation in the seed industry among breeding, propagation, and promotion. Particular attention should be paid to not letting the achievements of scientific and technical personnel be locked in iron cabinets.
Yu Xinrong said that the Ministry of Agriculture has focused on several things: vigorously supporting and promoting the innovation and development of integrated breeding, propagation, and promotion enterprises; promoting reform of seed industry rights and interests to stimulate the enthusiasm of researchers; creating China's first platform for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements in the seed industry, which in just two months had transaction amounts of more than 30 million yuan; and encouraging seed industry researchers, seed industry science and technology institutions, and integrated breeding, propagation, and promotion enterprises to jointly establish research laboratories to jointly promote collaborative scientific research and joint transformation in seed industry science and technology, achieving a win-win situation.
He said that after a series of reforms in seed industry science and technology, obvious results have now been achieved in research and development and transformation of seed industry science and technology with integrated breeding, propagation, and promotion enterprises as the main body. At present, the top 50 integrated breeding, propagation, and promotion enterprises hold 35% of the achievements and control 35% of the resources, and the trend is becoming even more obvious.
What is the situation for increasing farmers' incomes? It will continue to maintain growth momentum
——Farmers' incomes will continue to be maintained
Yu Xinrong first used data to speak: in 2014, China's per capita net income of farmers reached 9,892 yuan, just 108 yuan short of 10,000 yuan, achieving an “eleventh consecutive year of rapid growth” for the first time. The growth rate of farmers' per capita net income was faster than the growth rate of urban residents' per capita disposable income for 5 consecutive years, and the relative income gap between urban and rural residents narrowed from 3.33:1 in 2009 to 2.92:1 last year.
The overall situation for increasing farmers' incomes is improving. Yu Xinrong believes this is mainly due to four aspects: the development of urbanization has significantly increased farmers' wage income; second, the prices of agricultural products have been basically stable, supporting the sustained increase in farmers' incomes; third, the state's policies to strengthen agriculture and benefit farmers have been implemented in place; fourth, the reform of the rural collective property rights system has promoted the development of large-scale operations, enabling farmers' property income to maintain an increasing momentum.
Yu Xinrong said that farmers' incomes will continue to maintain an increasing momentum. First, we will continue to increase support for agriculture; second, we will deepen reform of the agricultural product price system, and there will be a minimum purchase price policy for grain and a temporary storage policy; third, the integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas will enhance the internal vitality of rural economic development; finally, targeted poverty alleviation focusing on contiguous poverty-stricken areas will enable farmers in poor areas to enter a moderately prosperous society together with the people of the whole country.
Why is there milk dumping on one side and a rush to buy milk powder on the other?
——We are full of confidence in the sustained development of the dairy industry
“Like our friends here, we are highly concerned and have adopted a series of measures to solve the problems that have recently appeared in some places in the development of the dairy industry.” Yu Xinrong said earnestly.
He said that the causes of the current excess milk supply in some places are relatively complex. First, from the international perspective, the obvious increase in global dairy production in 2014 led to a sharp drop in milk prices, which in turn drove a large increase in China's imported milk powder. Second, from the domestic perspective, in 2014 the national output of fresh milk reached 37.25 million tons, the largest increase and the largest increase in output. The increase in domestic market consumption could not keep up with the large-scale imports of international milk powder and the large-scale increase in domestic dairy production, leading to a drop in the purchase price of fresh milk in China, especially for dairy farmers, from 3.25 yuan per kg at the beginning of last year to 2.85 yuan. Third, there is indeed a gap between China's dairy cattle farming and dairy processing and the dairy development of developed countries. China has not yet escaped the situation of small scale, high cost, and relatively weak international competitiveness. In the next step, governments at all levels will take active measures to support and help dairy farmers get through difficulties, including subsidies, insurance, market development, and other measures, which have to a certain extent eased the impact of falling milk prices on dairy farmers.
“We are full of confidence in the development of China's dairy industry. Because China's dairy product market has huge potential, and the market is gold; strong market demand will continue to drive the development of China's dairy industry.” Yu Xinrong said. First, China's dairy industry has a foundation for transformation and upgrading. In particular, the promotion and development of standardized dairy cattle farms, and the level of mechanization in farming, have also improved greatly. Second, the consumer market has huge potential. China's per capita consumption of fresh milk is only 33 kg, less than 1/2 of that of developing countries and 1/3 of the world average; these demand potentials will be transformed into a huge driving force for dairy industry development. Third, quality and safety are guaranteed. The Ministry of Agriculture has carried out special rectification and monitoring programs for the quality and safety of fresh milk for 6 consecutive years, with a cumulative total of 125,000 batches inspected; the results show that the quality and safety of fresh milk is reassuring and will continue to improve.