Four Reflections and Key Points on the Management and Control of the Use of Funds for Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers Policies

Since 2004, the central government has issued eleven consecutive "No. 1 documents" themed on "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", and one main thread of their policies has been to emphasize the position of the "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" issue as the "top priority" during China's period of socialist modernization, so as to better accelerate agricultural modernization. Guided by the new concept of "coordinating the coordinated development of urban and rural economies and societies", it leads the adherence to the principles of "industry nurturing agriculture and cities supporting rural areas", "giving more, taking less and loosening control", and "synchronizing the three modernizations", gradually changing the urban-rural dual economic structure, gradually narrowing the urban-rural development gap, implementing cities leading rural areas, industry promoting agriculture, and urban-rural interaction, and forming a new pattern of coordinated urban-rural economic and social development. Over the past decade and more, centering closely on major issues of agricultural and rural reform and development such as increasing farmers' incomes, comprehensive agricultural production capacity, new rural construction, modern agriculture and stable agricultural development, sustained increases in farmers' incomes, coordinated urban-rural development, farmland water conservancy, accelerating agricultural scientific and technological innovation, deepening comprehensive rural reform, and promoting the development of rural social undertakings, the central government has introduced policies including the abolition of agricultural tax, the implementation of direct subsidies to farmers, and the establishment of a government-led model —— the support system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, forming a new pattern and new mechanism of diversified investment entities for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", better using "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, giving play to their most direct and most effective role as a rigid policy of "strengthening agriculture, benefiting rural areas and enriching farmers", and building the most stable and most reliable funding support system for strengthening agriculture, benefiting rural areas and enriching farmers, thereby forming a pattern of integrated urban-rural development and realizing the "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" Chinese Dream. In this regard, in view of the experience and lessons in the use and management of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds over the past decade and more, it is necessary to creatively optimize the ways of managing and controlling "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. The author believes that this should mainly be done from the following aspects.

First, make the "cake" of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds for use bigger

1. In accordance with the requirements of the "three highers", increase the investment of finance at the same level in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers". In accordance with the central government's requirement to "continuously increase fiscal expenditures for 'agriculture, rural areas and farmers', continuously increase the input of national fixed asset investment in agriculture and rural areas, and continuously increase investment in agricultural science and technology, ensuring that both the incremental amount and the proportion are increased", strive to increase fiscal investment in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers". While actively seeking investment in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" from central and provincial finance for counties and cities, through measures such as evaluation incentives and reward and punishment incentives, link the allocation of agricultural support funds with the investment intensity of various localities, guide organizations at all levels in towns and villages to continuously increase investment in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", prevent the phenomenon of fiscal "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" expenditures "advancing above and retreating below", and ensure stable growth of fiscal investment in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers".

2. Thoroughly understand national "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds and actively seek "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" project funds from higher levels. At present, national fiscal "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds will be tilted toward five aspects: first, tilting toward investment in agricultural scientific and technological innovation and promotion; second, tilting toward investment in agricultural industrialization development; third, continuing to tilt toward investment in equipped agriculture and facility agriculture; fourth, tilting toward the integration of agricultural and rural projects; fifth, tilting toward support for "old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority areas and border areas". Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study the national support policies for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" in the new period, increase the intensity of applying for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" project funds in aspects such as agricultural scientific and technological innovation and promotion, agricultural industrialization and specialization, equipped and facility agriculture, and new rural construction, pay attention to the integration of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy project funds, and vigorously promote overall advancement and contiguous development.

3. Innovate the guidance mechanism for investment in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" and amplify the effect of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. Actively use mechanisms such as market operation, fund integration, loan financing, fiscal interest subsidies, replacing subsidies with awards, privately run projects with public assistance, and reimbursement after construction, gradually transform fiscal funds from dispersed support to integrated use, from simple subsidies to replacing subsidies with awards, and from direct fiscal investment to fiscal interest subsidy support, fully give play to the guiding function and amplifying benefits of fiscal agricultural support policies, fully give play to property rights factors such as rural land use rights, forest rights, and the right to use infrastructure, guide the orderly flow of property rights factors, and attract social capital investment. Actively support the development of various micro-financial services suited to rural characteristics and needs, including rural microcredit, and continue to support the construction of the agricultural guarantee system. By strengthening publicity and guidance and improving policy measures, encourage enterprise investment and social donations to be put into "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", and make measures such as "village-enterprise co-construction and paired assistance" an important force in investment in new rural construction.

Second, grasp the key investment directions of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds

1. Vigorously support agricultural scientific and technological innovation and improve the scientific and technological content of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. With the goals of high yield, high quality, high efficiency, ecology and safety, effectively increase investment and tilt toward agricultural scientific and technological research and development innovation, achievement transformation, and promotion and application, and give play to the role of fiscal funds in "using a little to move a lot". First, vigorously support the promotion of agricultural science and technology and improve the quality of agricultural products. In accordance with the requirements of high yield, high efficiency, ecology and safety, focus on supporting the integrated development of breeding, reproduction and promotion in the modern seed industry, actively seek funds to expand the implementation scope of projects such as soil testing and formulated fertilization, soil organic matter improvement, high-yield creation for grain, cotton and oil, basic agricultural technology, and demonstration counties, and promote the transformation of traditional agriculture to modern agricultural production methods. Second, continue to support the transformation of agricultural scientific and technological achievements, smooth the channels for transformation and application, and enhance the supporting capacity of science and technology for agricultural production. Third, fully give play to the new mechanism of "using money to support undertakings" in rural public welfare undertakings, improve the grassroots agricultural technology service system focusing on agricultural science and technology promotion, animal and plant disease prevention and control, and agricultural product quality supervision, support and guide agricultural departments to undertake agricultural technology promotion projects, and establish an agricultural technology promotion incentive mechanism linking government investment with service performance. Fourth, improve support policies and mechanisms for farmers' scientific and technological training, focus on supporting the training of rural agricultural technicians and practical technical training, and improve farmers' scientific literacy. Fifth, further increase support for farmers' specialized cooperative organizations, enhance the service capacity of cooperative organizations for farmers' production and operation, study and establish a mechanism for connecting agriculture-related projects with farmers' specialized cooperative organizations, support qualified farmers' specialized cooperative organizations in applying for agricultural support projects and undertaking the task of constructing "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy fund projects, and improve the long-term mechanism for asset management and maintenance of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy fund projects.

2. Actively support the development of modern agriculture and realize the transformation from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture. Centering on the central government's requirement of "synchronizing the three modernizations", and in accordance with the thinking of "concentrated investment, highlighting key points, contiguous development, and making them bigger and stronger", it is suggested to continue to focus on supporting the development of modern agricultural industries: first, continue to support the four major agricultural industries of grain, rapeseed, pigs and aquaculture, and increase policy support for the development of the four major agricultural industries. Second, actively support the construction of the "four batches" project in agricultural industrialization, and support and guide leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization to continuously develop and grow. By actively integrating funds and making sustained investments, support the creation of a batch of high-quality agricultural industry products with advantageous characteristics, and realize the transformation from a large agricultural city to a strong agricultural city. Third, actively support the transformation of agricultural production models, and promote models such as "leading enterprise + base + farmers", "cooperative organization + base + farmers", "agricultural-supermarket linkage", and "order-based production", plan agriculture with industrial concepts, and operate agriculture with modern management. Fourth, actively support the creation of agricultural brands and geographical indication products.

Third, highlight the integration effect of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds

In accordance with the basic requirements of "channels unchanged, purposes unchanged, overall arrangement, systematic integration, forming synergy, and each recording its own merits", through establishing a coordination mechanism of "government leadership, finance taking the lead, and departments cooperating", integrate "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds from multiple channels, and gradually form a fund use management and control mechanism with scientific investment direction, reasonable structure, standardized management, efficient use and safe operation. The scope of integrated funds includes: apart from disaster relief funds and funds with special purposes, all municipal agricultural support funds, including various budget funds managed and allocated by fiscal departments; special agricultural support funds from central, provincial and prefecture (city) departments, including "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" projects and funds from departments such as finance, development and reform, agriculture, water conservancy (drinking water safety), forestry, land and resources, environmental protection, transportation, resettlement, poverty alleviation, science and technology, energy, commerce, supply and marketing, housing and urban-rural construction (urbanization, urban-rural integration), and the rural work office (new rural construction); and special agricultural support funds arranged by municipal (county) finance. First, establish an integration platform. Establish an "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy fund integration platform based on the city's medium- and long-term development plans for agriculture and rural areas. Second, strictly control the application for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy fund projects. Each year, agriculture-related departments apply for fiscal "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" projects according to the already established integration platform, and the office of the city's "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy fund integration leading group uniformly reviews and submits them for approval; projects that are not integrated shall not be applied for. Third, strengthen the management and control of integrated "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, and strictly prevent implementation not in accordance with project requirements and strictly prevent the use of integrated funds not in accordance with prescribed procedures. All "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds within the scope of integration must implement the "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy project management responsibility system, public announcement system, bidding system, supervision system, entrusted intermediary inspection system, and centralized treasury payment system, ensuring that the management and control and governance of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds are standardized, safe and effective.

⟦NL> Fourth, strengthen the construction of the governance system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds

1. Improve the management and control institutional system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. First, comprehensively strengthen the construction of the governance institutional system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. In accordance with the requirements of building a rule-of-law finance, comprehensively clean up and improve existing systems for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds and agricultural fiscal management, promptly fill the "gaps" in institutional construction, strengthen the organic connection of various management systems, and gradually establish a scientific, reasonable, clearly layered, clearly divided and comprehensively covering governance institutional system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. Second, continuously increase publicity of the system. Vigorously publicize the Party's various "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policies for supporting and benefiting agriculture through news media, strive to ensure that the broad masses of farmers always have a clear account in their hearts, vigorously promote fiscal affairs openness, implement "sunshine finance", and strengthen supervision by public opinion and the masses. Third, establish a reward and punishment mechanism for the management, control and use of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. While seriously investigating and handling problems and holding people accountable, vigorously commend and reward advanced units and individuals in the management and control of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds.

2. Strictly pursue accountability for faults in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. First, establish a responsibility management system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. For units with problems in project construction and fund management, establish a registration system for violations of regulations and discipline; for localities with bad records, in addition to applying a one-vote veto in work assessment, link this when arranging "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy projects and funds, and enhance the sense of responsibility and risk awareness of fiscal and agriculture-related departments in "managing money" and "using money". Second, strictly implement the accountability system for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. It is suggested to strictly implement the "Measures for Accountability in the Use and Management of 'Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers' Policy Funds of a Certain Province" issued by the provincial party committee and provincial government, strictly implement accountability for funds for rural infrastructure construction, agricultural production development funds, subsidies to agriculture and farmers, funds for rural social undertaking development, policy-based agricultural insurance, and disaster relief funds, build a red line for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, always light the red light for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, ensure that the interests of the broad masses of farmers are not harmed, and ensure the stable and healthy development of agriculture and rural areas.

3. Strengthen supervision and inspection of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds. Through performance evaluation of key agriculture-related policy special funds, comprehensively carry out supervision and inspection of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, promptly find problems and loopholes in the management of agriculture-related policy funds, actively prevent violations of regulations and discipline in "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, and establish a long-term mechanism for the safe and efficient operation of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" policy funds, thereby gradually realizing the transformation of supervision and inspection from relying on external pressure to conscious action, and from centralized governance to establishing a preventive mechanism. Make full use of social public opinion, the media and audit supervision, combine ex-post supervision with ex-ante and in-process supervision, combine methods such as going to the grassroots for research, cross-inspection, performance evaluation, audit supervision, special investigations, and petition investigations, and combine higher-level inspections with self-inspections at the same level, striving to form a multi-level and all-round supervision system.