Policy interpretation: vegetables and fruits to be traceable in five years
Since the implementation of the Vegetable Basket Project in 1988, the output of China's vegetable basket products has grown substantially, varieties have become increasingly rich, quality has continuously improved, and the market system has gradually been perfected.
Recently, in order to adapt to changing circumstances and meet the ever-rising demands of urban and rural residents for vegetable basket products, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Coordinating the Advancement of a New Round of Vegetable Basket Project Construction." Recently, Qian Keming, Director of the Market and Economic Information Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, answered reporters' questions on issues related to the Opinions.
The original production layout of the vegetable basket has been broken
In recent years, with changes in the economic structure, shifts in the social structure, adjustments in the pattern of interests and changes in consumer demand, some new situations and new problems have emerged in the development of the vegetable basket industry in large and medium-sized cities.
Urbanization has increased the pressure to guarantee the supply of vegetable basket products in large and medium-sized cities. Over the past 10 years, China's urban population has increased by a net 220 million, and by 2020 it will still increase by a net more than 200 million. But at the same time, vegetable basket product production bases in suburban areas have continuously shifted to agricultural areas far from cities, breaking the original production layout of "suburbs as the mainstay, outer suburbs as the supplement, and agricultural areas as the complement."
Rising living standards have made the quality and safety of vegetable basket products a greater concern. As the consumption structure of urban residents upgrades, people's demand for vegetable basket products tends to diversify, and they pay more attention to eating safely, with peace of mind, and nutritiously and healthily. However, due to the limitations of production methods, management systems and development stages, the level of quality and safety assurance for China's vegetable basket products is still difficult to fully adapt to the needs of changing circumstances.
The frequent occurrence of emergencies means the government's risk management capacity urgently needs to be strengthened. Due to the particular nature of vegetable basket products, industrial development and market operation are extremely vulnerable to the impact of emergencies. In particular, the interweaving of natural risks, quality risks, market risks, risks from adverse information and risks of international importation can easily lead to frequent fluctuations in the vegetable basket product market.
Promoting standardized production of vegetable basket products
The "Opinions" have new breakthroughs in the following aspects:
First, it highlights the idea of coordinating the advancement of project construction. This mainly includes: coordinating the interests of sales areas and production areas, and tightening the interest relationship of cooperation between production areas and sales areas; coordinating market regulation and government regulation, and increasing the government's investment in vegetable basket project infrastructure; coordinating production development and environmental protection, and achieving sustainable development of vegetable basket product production; coordinating capacity building and mechanism innovation, planning and building a batch of new bases with a high starting point and high standards, and further establishing risk control, production-sales linkage and market early-warning mechanisms.
Second, it clarifies the functional positioning of agricultural development in the suburbs of large and medium-sized cities. The new round of the Vegetable Basket Project clarifies the functional positioning of agricultural development in the suburbs of large and medium-sized cities, requiring differentiated development from agricultural areas, and, on the basis of stabilizing grain production, building infrastructure for vegetable basket production, circulation, processing and quality supervision with a high starting point and high standards, vigorously developing industrialized operations, and achieving coordination between agricultural modernization and industrialization and urbanization.
In addition, it highlights the transformation of the production mode of vegetable basket products. Ensuring the quality and safety of vegetable basket products and letting consumers consume with confidence is an important task in the new round of Vegetable Basket Project construction. The "Opinions" emphasize the need to transform the production development mode, vigorously promote standardized production, consolidate from the source the foundation for improving the quality and safety of vegetable basket products, and clearly designate ten products - vegetables, fruits, tea, beef cattle, mutton sheep, dairy cows, live pigs, broiler chickens, laying hens and aquatic products - as the focus, carrying out large-scale standardization creation activities and driving the standardized production of horticultural products and livestock, poultry and aquatic product farming.
Raising the level of vegetable self-sufficiency in large cities
The issuance of the "Opinions" marks the official launch of the new round of Vegetable Basket Project construction. In the near term, through about 5 years of effort, key products such as meat, eggs, milk, fish, vegetables and fruits will achieve a rational production layout, total output meeting demand, richer varieties and balanced seasonal supply; the self-sufficiency level of vegetable basket products in large cities such as municipalities directly under the Central Government, provincial capitals and cities under separate state planning will remain stable and gradually increase; the construction of vegetable basket production bases in agricultural areas will be strengthened and circulation conditions further improved; the interest linkage mechanism between production areas and sales areas will be basically established and a modern circulation system basically formed; vegetable basket products will basically achieve traceability and the level of quality and safety will be significantly improved; the mayor responsibility system will be further implemented, and the capacity for supply guarantee, emergency regulation and quality supervision will be markedly enhanced.
In order to promote the implementation of the Opinions, the Ministry of Agriculture will, together with relevant departments, adopt a series of supporting measures, jointly study and formulate the "Overall Plan for the New Round of Vegetable Basket Project Construction (2011—2015)", study and formulate the "Plan for the Construction of the National Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Inspection and Testing System (2011—2015)", and guide large and medium-sized cities in studying and formulating the "Development Plan for Vegetable Basket Construction in Urban Suburbs."