Agricultural product processing and leisure agriculture boost the interconnected development of modern agriculture

This newspaper reports  that since the beginning of this year, the agricultural product processing industry and leisure agriculture have continued to make new progress, not only connecting modern agriculture to the “secondary industry” of processing, but also linking it to the “tertiary industry” of leisure agriculture, extending the industrial chain of modern agriculture and becoming a key link, a clear hallmark and an important component of modern agriculture, and a new growth pole driving the development of the agricultural and rural economy.

The agricultural product processing industry has continued to transform and upgrade, striving to achieve a shift from total volume expansion to transformation and upgrading, from factor-driven to innovation-driven, and from scattered and disorderly to clustered development. From January to October, agricultural product processing enterprises above designated size achieved main business revenue of 14,960.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.7%; total profits reached 929.9 billion yuan, an increase of 3.7%, with a main business revenue profit margin of 6.2%. The overall trend for the full year is expected to stabilise and recover, with quality and efficiency continuing to improve; subsidy funds for the construction of primary agricultural product processing facilities increased by 20%, reaching 600 million, and have all been fully allocated. Scientific and technological innovation and promotion in agricultural product processing have achieved remarkable results, with 22 national scientific and technological innovation and promotion activities and regional science-enterprise matchmaking activities held, the annual top ten scientific and technological innovation and promotion achievements released, more than 500 mature and practical technologies screened and promoted, more than 330 enterprise technology needs collected, 414 intentions for cooperation on the commercialisation of scientific research achievements facilitated, and 27,000 person-times of various types of technical personnel trained. The China Agricultural Product Processing Investment and Trade Fair was successfully held, with major projects signed worth 53 billion yuan. Hainan, Hunan, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang and other places actively carried out agricultural product processing production and marketing matchmaking activities; 100 demonstration enterprises and brand trademarks for staple food processing were recognised and released, and a concept of staple food consumption is taking shape in society.

Leisure agriculture has further developed in a standardised and orderly manner. The scale of the industry is growing steadily, with more than 1.8 million leisure agriculture and rural tourism operating entities nationwide, including more than 1.5 million farmhouse restaurants and more than 40,000 leisure agriculture operating entities above designated size; all localities are adapting to local conditions and planning scientifically, continuously innovating and developing types on the basis of forms such as farmhouse restaurants, folk culture villages, leisure farms and leisure granges; the development mode is shifting from spontaneous development by farmers to planning and guidance by governments at all levels, the scale of operations is shifting from scattered distribution and dispersed operation to clustered distribution and intensive operation, the functional positioning is shifting from a single catering function to multiple functions such as leisure, education and experience, the spatial layout is shifting from the periphery of scenic areas and urban suburbs to more suitable areas, and operating entities are shifting from mainly farmer-operated to multi-entity operation; brand building is “blooming in a hundred flowers”, with 37 national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration counties and 100 demonstration sites created in 2014, 100 of China's most beautiful leisure villages, 140 of China's beautiful rural landscapes and more than 3,000 creative fine works recommended, and 20 China Important Agricultural Heritage Systems recognised.