Lagging Agricultural Product Processing Becomes a Bottleneck for Increasing Farmers' Income

In recent years, although investment from all sides in “agriculture, rural areas and farmers” has increased rapidly, the lagging processing of agricultural products has still become a “bottleneck” constraining the increase of farmers' income. The author believes that solving this difficult problem involves many aspects. In addition to leaders' attention, preferential policies and adequate supervision, the following four areas of work must be focused on in practical work:

First, establish an agricultural product development fund. Shift from dispersed investment to concentrated investment, “pool” and “bundle” together the agriculture-support funds arranged by finance departments, the poverty-alleviation funds arranged by relevant departments, rural loans from credit cooperatives and self-raised funds from townships, villages and groups, and establish an agricultural product processing development fund. Following the principle that funds follow projects, concentrate manpower, financial resources and material resources to support agricultural product processing projects with sufficient raw materials, low investment, quick results and good sales markets, so that they can grow and strengthen as quickly as possible.

Second, implement information disclosure. At present, all localities have some agricultural product processing projects; some have already gone into production, some are being tested, and some are still only in the pipeline. This information can be made public on the internet, in newspapers and on radio and television and other media. Those that have already succeeded can transfer production technology, and those still under development can take in partners. In this way, farmers in different regions can learn from each other, draw on each other's experience and make up for each other's weaknesses, thereby reducing trial costs and shortening development time.

Third, carry out horizontal cooperation. Industry and regional boundaries should be broken down, allowing the flow of talent, technology and funds, and carrying out horizontal cooperation. For a specific locality, based on its own advantages in resources, technology and financial strength, it can focus on choosing projects that other places do not have and that others cannot do, absorb others' advanced technology and management experience, and make them “special”, “refined” and “ingenious”. In this way, it can build its own famous-brand products and core competitiveness.

Fourth, focus on two markets. The processing and sales of agricultural products must break the traditional concept of self-production and self-sales, shift from a closed model to an open one, focus on both developing the domestic market and the international market, intensify the promotion of science and technology, and shift from extensive adjustment of quantity to intensive improvement of quality, adopting advanced production technology and scientific management methods from home and abroad. In this way, a path of less investment, quick results, low cost and high output can be opened up.