Deepen rural reform and accelerate the process of agricultural modernization
The Central Rural Work Conference that has just concluded is another important meeting convened by the Central Committee following the Central Economic Work Conference. The meeting conducted an in-depth analysis of the urgent practical need to accelerate agricultural modernization, and comprehensively outlined the major tasks and specific measures for achieving agricultural modernization. This is of great significance for unifying thinking, firming up confidence, and doing a good job in the next stage of work related to “agriculture, rural areas and farmers.”
When “agriculture, rural areas and farmers” improve, the overall situation becomes proactive. This year, China's grain output achieved an “eleventh consecutive increase,” farmers' income growth is expected to achieve an “eleventh consecutive year of rapid growth,” the pace of rural reform has accelerated, and the sound momentum of agricultural and rural development has continued, providing support and adding confidence for the economy and society to seek progress while maintaining stability.
But we must also clearly see that, against the background of the current economy entering a new normal, agricultural and rural development is facing unprecedented new challenges. The domestic and international prices of major agricultural products are inverted, the “amber box” policy is approaching its upper limit, and under the squeeze of two “ceilings,” it is becoming more difficult to increase agricultural efficiency and sustain farmers' income growth; agricultural resources are scarce, ecological and environmental constraints are tightening, and under the restriction of two “tightening bands,” pressure is increasing to ensure the effective supply of agricultural products and their quality and safety; factors of production between urban and rural areas are flowing more rapidly, and the problems of rural hollowing-out and aging are becoming increasingly prominent. Against the background of deepening urbanization, the task of accelerating the building of a new countryside is arduous. Difficulties force reform. To break the bottlenecks constraining agricultural modernization, we must proactively adapt to the new normal of the economy and comprehensively deepen rural reform in accordance with the general requirements of “stabilizing grain production and increasing income, improving quality and efficiency, and driving development through innovation.”
Without agricultural modernization, there can be no national modernization. To advance agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, reform must always be taken as the fundamental driving force. The new round of rural reform focuses on dismantling the urban-rural dual structure system, and all the issues it faces are hard “bones to gnaw.” It is necessary to closely focus on the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, better play the role of the government, innovate systems and mechanisms, and provide strong institutional guarantees for achieving agricultural modernization. To deepen rural reform, we must, in accordance with the overall arrangements of the Central Committee, improve top-level design, ensure that reform makes progress and achieves results, and further stimulate the vitality of rural social development. It is worth noting that rural conditions differ vastly, and productivity levels vary greatly. Agricultural modernization cannot proceed in a single model “marching in step.” We should not only adapt measures to local conditions and encourage innovation, but also hold fast to the bottom line, carry out pilot projects first, fully respect farmers' wishes, and effectively protect farmers' interests, forming a pattern of advancing agricultural modernization through multiple paths, multiple forms and multiple levels.
Agricultural modernization is a complex systematic project involving reforms in all aspects. We must grasp the direction, highlight key points and advance steadily. In the new period, on the basis of stabilizing grain production security, we must accelerate the development of agricultural industrialization and promote strategic adjustment of the agricultural industrial structure. Based on national conditions, we should actively develop various forms of appropriately scaled operations. We must accelerate the transformation of the development model and promote sustainable agricultural development. We must continue to strengthen agriculture and benefit farmers, and increase agricultural policy and funding support. We must plan scientifically and make good use of both domestic and international markets and both types of resources. Through a series of reform and innovation measures, we will enhance endogenous impetus and form a powerful synergy for accelerating agricultural modernization.
New urbanization and agricultural modernization complement each other. We must comprehensively enhance the radiating and driving role of cities in rural development, promote equal exchange of urban and rural factors and balanced allocation of public resources, and enable the broad masses of farmers to participate equally in the modernization process and share in the fruits of modernization.
Deepening rural reform and advancing agricultural modernization cannot be separated from the guarantee of the rule of law. The countryside is a relatively weak area in the building of the rule of law. We must accelerate the improvement of the legal system for agriculture and rural areas, advance urban and rural rule-of-law development in step, and be good at using rule-of-law thinking and rule-of-law methods to handle issues related to “agriculture, rural areas and farmers.” In particular, major rural reforms must have a legal basis.
In building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the difficulty lies in rural areas, and so does the potential. Next year is a key year for comprehensively deepening reform and the concluding year for fully completing the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan.” All localities and departments must persist in strengthening agriculture, enriching rural areas and benefiting farmers, ensure that thinking does not slacken, policies do not weaken, and reform does not stop, and strive to open up new prospects for agricultural and rural development.