National Agricultural Mechanization Conference Calls for Accelerating the Creation of an Upgraded Version of Agricultural Mechanization Development
On January 13-14, the National Agricultural Mechanization Work Conference was held in Nanning, Guangxi. Vice Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin pointed out that it is necessary to accurately grasp the new characteristics and new requirements under the new normal, and fully recognize the urgency, difficulty and long-term nature of improving the quality and efficiency of agricultural mechanization and its transformation and upgrading. With the sense of responsibility of “if not me, then who” and the breadth of mind of “success need not be attributed to me,” we should take the initiative, combine near-term and long-term considerations, coordinate policies, and reform and innovate, persistently promoting the healthy development of agricultural mechanization toward higher quality, greater efficiency, more balanced and more sustainable development, accelerating the creation of an upgraded version of agricultural mechanization development, and constantly opening new chapters in the cause of agricultural mechanization.
Zhang Taolin believes that for some time to come, China's agricultural mechanization will still be in a strategic opportunity period with much to accomplish, and another golden decade can be expected. Increasing the quantity of agricultural machinery and equipment is an urgent need to accelerate the pace of machinery replacing labor and comprehensively improve comprehensive agricultural production capacity; improving the use efficiency of agricultural machinery and equipment is the long-term path to promoting the sustainable development of agricultural mechanization. To adapt to the new requirements of agricultural and rural economic development, the future development of China's agricultural mechanization must adhere to simultaneous attention to quantity and quality, accelerate the expansion of agricultural machinery operation fields toward full-process and all-round development, and transform and upgrade agricultural mechanization toward high quality and high efficiency. This is the new normal of China's agricultural mechanization development.
The conference proposed that to understand the new normal, adapt to the new normal, and grasp the new normal, agricultural mechanization work must focus efforts in 5 aspects:
First, greater attention must be paid to planning guidance. On the basis of fully understanding the existing situation, it is necessary to scientifically predict supply and demand conditions and carefully formulate the “13th Five-Year” development plan. At the same time, dynamic monitoring during plan implementation must be strengthened, and relevant early warning analysis and information release must be carried out in a timely manner.
Second, greater attention must be paid to policy creation. Policy design must adapt to the new trend of fiscal system reform, accurately grasp the division of central authority and local authority, find the right entry points, and improve the success rate. The precision of policy implementation must be improved, focusing on goals and focusing on main actors, through reasonable determination of the scope and amount of agricultural machinery purchase subsidies, improvement of the agricultural machinery scrapping and renewal system, implementation of subsidies for operations in key links, strengthening infrastructure construction and financial support, and other various policy measures. Overall coordination must be taken into account, differentiated measures must be adopted, breakthroughs must be made in mechanization of key and weak links, and plain areas must be guided to raise their mechanization level while hilly and mountainous areas must be guided onto the right path of mechanization. The effectiveness of policies must be expanded, market mechanisms must be skillfully used, and limited fiscal funds must be made to play the greatest leveraging role. Attention must be paid to organically combining policy guidance with farmers' needs, guiding rational purchase of agricultural machinery and tools, doing a good job in addition and subtraction, and promoting the popularization and application of urgently needed agricultural machinery and tools and the adjustment and optimization of the existing agricultural machinery and equipment structure.
Third, greater attention must be paid to innovation-driven development. Research and development innovation in agricultural machinery and equipment manufacturing technology must be strengthened, breakthroughs must be made in weak links in the mechanization of major cash crop production and livestock and aquaculture, and the breakthrough and integration of mechanization technologies in weak links such as sowing and harvesting of rapeseed, cotton, sugarcane, peanuts, potatoes and other cash crops and the treatment of waste from planting and breeding must be accelerated; the process of agricultural mechanization in weak areas such as hilly and mountainous areas must be accelerated, and lightweight, convenient and efficient agricultural mechanization technologies must be vigorously developed. The upgrading of agricultural machinery product technology and structure must be promoted, the research and development level and product quality of the agricultural machinery industry must be comprehensively improved, and gradually every field and every link of agricultural production must have “machines available” and “good machines available.” The integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy must be strengthened, the concept of developing “mechanized agriculture” must be established, the phenomenon of agricultural and agricultural machinery departments each doing their own work and fighting alone must be changed, departmental cooperation must be strengthened, and the integration and supporting of agricultural mechanization technologies must be studied in a coordinated way across the entire process from farmland infrastructure construction, breeding, cultivation, processing and consumption.
Fourth, greater attention must be paid to follow-up services. To adapt to the needs of accelerating the development of agricultural scale operations, the socialized service system for agricultural machinery must be upgraded. Driven by improving machinery utilization rates and economic benefits, new agricultural machinery service entities such as agricultural machinery cooperatives and agricultural machinery operation companies, as well as large agricultural machinery households, must be cultivated and developed, guidance must be given to establish closely linked interest mechanisms, standardized and branded operations must be realized, and the development momentum of service organizations must be enhanced. Service forms such as full-process mechanized contracted cultivation and planting, land trusteeship, and cross-regional agricultural machinery operations must be vigorously promoted, forming a new agricultural machinery operation service model of “clear operation areas, appropriate service radius, solid service targets, stable operation income, and smooth machinery transfer.” The informatization of agricultural machinery government management, operation markets and technical services must be promoted, convenient and efficient agricultural machinery repair, sales, leasing and financial services must be supported, and the costs of agricultural machinery operation, maintenance and transactions must be continuously reduced. The construction of an honest and trustworthy agricultural machinery market environment must be promoted, service commitments must be guided to be fulfilled, and service quality must be guaranteed.
Fifth, greater attention must be paid to legal safeguards. The legal requirements for agricultural mechanization must be accurately grasped, the awareness of consistency between rights and responsibilities must be enhanced, the principle that nothing may be done without legal authorization must be upheld, the principle that statutory duties must be performed must be upheld, and regulatory responsibilities such as agricultural machinery safety production, driving training, repair outlets, and quality surveys of agricultural machinery products in use must be fulfilled. Investigation and research must be strengthened, and according to actual conditions and development trends, procedures must be followed to promote the revision and improvement of agricultural machinery safety regulations, agricultural machinery testing and identification, regulations on the management of support and promotion catalogs, and supporting normative documents, so as to enhance the coordination and effectiveness of institutional provisions. With agricultural machinery subsidies, major projects, administrative approvals and other areas as the focus, a power list system must be implemented, and power constraints and supervision must be strengthened. Laws and regulations closely related to agricultural mechanization must be widely publicized, and farmers must be guided to use lawful means to resolve disputes and safeguard their own rights and interests.
⟦NL> 2015 is the final year of implementing the “12th Five-Year” plan. Agricultural mechanization will strive to make the national comprehensive mechanization level of cultivation and harvesting reach above 62%, with the mechanization levels of rice planting and corn harvesting respectively exceeding 39%. The main work will focus on the following seven aspects:
First, implement the agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policy well. Coordinate all work for launching subsidies, ensuring early implementation and early results. Strengthen publicity, training and business guidance, and create a favorable atmosphere conducive to policy implementation.
Second, carry out the action to promote full-process mechanization of major crop production. Centering on major crops such as grain, cotton, oil and sugar and major production regions, formulate the “Action Plan for Promoting Full-Process Mechanization of Major Crop Production.” This year, the Ministry of Agriculture will build 48 counties as demonstration project counties for full-process mechanization of major crop production in major production areas nationwide, focusing on promoting rice machine transplanting and striving to make the national mechanized rice planting level reach 39%; promoting corn machine harvesting in Northeast China, the Huang-Huai-Hai region and Northwest China, striving to make the national corn machine harvesting level reach 60%; doing a good job in the integration and demonstration of cotton machine harvesting in the three major cotton regions and sugarcane machine harvesting in Guangxi; and continuing to promote mechanization of rapeseed, potato and other crop production.
Third, complete the task of 200 million mu of agricultural machinery deep loosening and land preparation operations. In suitable areas, deep loosening machines must be listed as key models for open subsidies, and efforts must be made to expand the pilot areas for subsidies for agricultural machinery deep loosening and land preparation operations.
Fourth, organize mechanized production activities during important farming seasons well. Do a good job in mechanized production during important farming seasons such as spring plowing, “three summer” and “double rush” and “three autumn” periods, strengthen the management of cross-regional agricultural machinery operations, and carefully organize the “three summer” wheat cross-regional machine harvesting campaign. Refine the “Guiding Opinions on Mechanized Harvesting Technology for Wheat and Rice,” carry out publicity and implementation activities for machine harvesting operation quality standards, and reduce losses during the grain harvesting process.
Fifth, cultivate new market entities for socialized agricultural machinery services. Fully leverage the technical support role of the agricultural mechanization science and technology strategic consulting expert group, draw on projects such as the agricultural technology promotion backbone training plan and the new-type professional farmer training project, carry out “hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands” agricultural mechanization talent construction, and focus on cultivating “one hundred” high-quality agricultural mechanization science and technology leading talents, “one thousand” grassroots agricultural machinery promotion backbone talents, and “hundreds of thousands” agricultural machinery vocational experts.
Sixth, improve agricultural mechanization quality supervision and management. Study, revise and improve relevant systems for agricultural machinery testing and identification, and enhance the coordination and effectiveness of institutional provisions.
Seventh, do a good job in agricultural machinery safety production. Promote the implementation of a regular free safety inspection system for agricultural machinery, and encourage fiscal subsidies for expenses such as agricultural machinery license and certificate issuance, safety inspection, training and examinations, scrapping and recycling, and safety insurance. Last year, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission already made clear that administrative and institutional fees for agricultural machinery supervision would be exempted for small and micro enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households. This year, efforts will be made to expand the scope of exemption to all farmers and cooperatives.