Sustainable development of pastoral areas requires a long-term mechanism
From August 30 to September 3, Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Kangzhen conducted a survey in the Xinjiang autonomous region on the implementation of the grassland ecological protection subsidy and reward policy and the transformation and development of the grassland livestock industry. He stressed that the grassland ecological protection subsidy and reward policy is a major measure taken by the central government to promote the sound and rapid development of pastoral areas, and that all localities must adhere to the basic principle of “combining production and ecology organically, with ecology taking priority,” firmly establish the concept that “protecting ecology means protecting productivity, and improving ecology means developing productivity,” further establish and improve a long-term mechanism for grassland protection and construction, actively advance the transformation and upgrading of the grassland livestock industry, promote the sustainable development of pastoral areas, and achieve “greener grasslands, a stronger livestock industry, and wealthier herders.”
Yu Kangzhen successively conducted surveys in Burqin County, Altay City, and Fuhai County in the Altay Prefecture, and in Manas County and Hutubi County in the Changji Prefecture. He attached great importance to the implementation of the grassland subsidy and reward policy. In the closed-off water conservation area of Burqin County, he carefully listened to reports on the ecological improvement of the water conservation area, inspected the implementation of grassland grazing bans, and warmly expressed appreciation to frontline grassland caretakers. At the home of Bagedaoliti, a Kazakh herder in his seventies in Baihaba Village, when he heard the elderly man praise the policy, saying “this policy is truly good; thank the country and thank the Party,” he pointed out that the herders' heartfelt support for the policy is both encouragement and a spur to us. Agriculture and animal husbandry departments at all levels must further strengthen their confidence in doing their work well, strive to think of measures to improve their work, and ensure that good policies are implemented well, so that the public is satisfied and society recognizes the results.
⟦NL> Yu Kangzhen was very concerned about beef and mutton production in Xinjiang and the transformation and upgrading of the grassland livestock industry. During the survey, he successively visited the Shangren Herders' Breeding Professional Cooperative in the Altay Prefecture, Wangyuan Camel Milk Industrial Co., Ltd., and the Suffolk Sheep Improved Breed Expansion Farm and Hutubi Cattle Breeding Farm in the Changji Prefecture, among other breeding farms, households, and leading enterprises, and inspected beef cattle and mutton sheep breeding, improved breed propagation, and livestock product processing on site. He stressed that a key task of the grassland livestock industry at present is to vigorously develop beef and mutton production and break through the bottleneck restricting the expansion and breeding of female livestock as soon as possible. The transformation and upgrading of the grassland livestock industry is the direction of industrial development. Its growth and expansion cannot be separated from the guidance and drive of new business entities and leading enterprises, cannot be separated from the promotion and application of advanced science and technology, and cannot be separated from the extension of the entire industrial chain. Multiple measures must be taken simultaneously to focus on promoting the transformation and upgrading of the grassland livestock industry, prospering animal husbandry, and enriching herders.
Yu Kangzhen also paid close attention to the improvement of herders' living conditions. At the Yalaman herder settlement in Burqin County, when he saw the beautiful decoration and modern home appliances in the more than 100-square-meter settled home of herder Buerliesi, he said with gratification: “The living conditions in herder settlements are now much better than before; I am truly happy for everyone.” At the same time, Yu Kangzhen stressed that herder settlement must be combined with the transformation of the grassland livestock production model to ensure that herders “can settle down, remain stable, and live well.” Grasslands must be strictly protected, the construction of artificial forage bases must be strengthened, and the bottleneck of insufficient forage must be broken through, so as to provide reliable support for the development of the grassland livestock industry and for grassland disaster prevention and mitigation work.