China's grass industry annual output value exceeds 300 billion yuan: small grass, big business
China has nearly 400 million hectares of various types of grassland, and the annual output value of the grass industry has already exceeded 300 billion yuan——
Small grass is a big business
Right now, it is the most beautiful season on the grasslands. Grass can nourish increasingly fragile ecosystems and can also give rise to a large industry. “Small grass is a big business, and China's grass industry has entered a new period of historical opportunity.” said Yu Kangzhen, Vice Minister of Agriculture. The annual output value of China's grass industry has already exceeded 300 billion yuan.
Statistics show that at present China's cultivated grass area has reached 280 million mu, with a theoretical annual grass yield of 45 million tons; three types of forage planting and processing industries have been formed: self-production and self-use, ecological function, and commercial production; there are more than 300 registered grass product processing enterprises nationwide, distributed across 21 provinces and regions, mainly concentrated in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Ningxia, Henan and other places.
China has natural advantages for developing the grass industry: it has nearly 400 million hectares of various types of grassland, accounting for about two-fifths of the national land area. Experts say that if the abundant natural grasslands are utilized to vigorously develop the ecological grass industry, on the one hand it can reduce the amount of feed grain used and optimize the grain structure; on the other hand it can restore grassland ecology and improve farmland quality.
At present, relevant departments are increasing support for the development of the grass industry in terms of policy, funding, technology and other aspects. Starting in 2011, the state decided to implement the grassland ecological protection subsidy and reward policy in major grassland pastoral provinces across the country. In 2014, the central government added another 300 million yuan in funds to launch the action to advance modern grassland animal husbandry in southern China in 10 provinces and regions. In addition, policy projects such as the action to revitalize the dairy industry through alfalfa development, forage germplasm conservation, aerial seeding of grass, grass seed breeding bases, and tax-free imports of grass seed continue to be implemented. At present, the scientific and technological support capacity for developing the grass industry has been further strengthened, and more than 90% of the newly added forage planting area each year uses new varieties and new technologies.
More importantly, there is still room for further release of the market potential of the grass industry. Statistics show that China's per capita direct grain consumption fell from 207 kg in 1986 to 148 kg in 2010, a decrease of 28.5%. The proportion of grain in food has continued to decline, while the proportion of animal-based foods has risen all the way. It is expected that in the next 15 years, China's per capita consumption of animal-based foods will maintain relatively rapid growth, followed by a fairly long period of slow growth, which means that demand for forage will continue to grow.
Experts say that to adapt to changes in people's dietary structure, more attention should be paid to the development of the high-quality forage industry. The crude protein content of high-quality forage is between 16% and 20%, while that of wheat is 12% and that of rice is 8%. Experts predict that in the future, on the basis of fully utilizing the grasslands that account for 41% of the national land area, grassland agriculture should be vigorously developed. It is expected that by 2020, with the supplement of the grass industry, China will enter a new period of feed exports.
Yu Kangzhen said that at present China's grass industry as a whole is still in its initial stage, facing prominent problems such as a weak foundation, unclear positioning and weak innovation capacity. He stressed that in the future, the main battlefield of ecological work should be placed on the grasslands, and the focus of developing herbivorous animal husbandry should be concentrated on the grass industry, striving to build a modern grass industry characterized by ecological friendliness, integration of agriculture and animal husbandry, high quality and safety, integrated innovation, strong animal husbandry and prosperous farmers, and cultural inheritance.