Central Rural Work Conference Deploys Strengthening of Structural Reform of the Agricultural Supply Side

The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing on December 24-25. The conference emphasized the need to focus on strengthening the structural reform of the agricultural supply side and to improve the quality and efficiency of the agricultural supply system. The conference discussed the "Several Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Implementing New Development Concepts to Accelerate Agricultural Modernization and Achieve the Goal of Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects (Discussion Draft)." Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, issued important instructions on doing a good job in the work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Premier of the State Council, made written comments.

Xi Jinping emphasized that during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, we must persist in making the resolution of issues related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers a top priority in the work of the entire Party, firmly establish and effectively implement the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing, increase efforts to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and enrich rural areas, deeply advance various rural reforms, resolve the difficult issues related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, enhance the drive for innovation, cultivate development advantages, actively promote agricultural modernization, solidly carry out poverty alleviation and development work, raise the level of building a new socialist countryside, and make agriculture and rural areas a vast world where much can be accomplished.

Li Keqiang pointed out that since the "12th Five-Year Plan," the work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers has achieved remarkable results and has become a prominent highlight of economic and social development. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, it is necessary to implement new development concepts, resolve new development difficulties, consolidate the foundation of modern agriculture, adjust and optimize the agricultural structure, give play to the leading role of various forms of appropriately scaled operations, and focus on improving agricultural quality, efficiency, and competitiveness. Attention should be paid to analyzing new situations that arise after a bumper grain harvest, adopting targeted measures, and continuing to mobilize farmers' enthusiasm for developing modern agriculture. It is necessary to accelerate rural infrastructure construction, place the focus of social undertaking development in rural areas and towns that absorb a relatively large number of people transferring out of agriculture, and promote the coordinated development of new urbanization and new rural construction. It is necessary to advance innovation in systems and mechanisms, stimulate the entrepreneurial and innovative vitality of hundreds of millions of farmers, cultivate new industries and new forms of business, and continuously expand new space for agricultural and rural development and new channels for farmers to increase income and become prosperous.

The conference emphasized that it is necessary to focus on strengthening the structural reform of the agricultural supply side, improve the quality and efficiency of the agricultural supply system, and make the supply of agricultural products sufficient in quantity and aligned in variety and quality with consumer needs, truly forming an effective supply of agricultural products with a reasonable structure and strong guarantees. At present, great importance should be attached to reducing inventory, lowering costs, and shoring up weaknesses. It is necessary to accelerate the digestion of excessive agricultural product inventory and accelerate the processing and conversion of grain; by developing appropriately scaled operations, reducing the unreasonable use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and carrying out socialized services, lower production costs and improve agricultural efficiency and competitiveness; strengthen weak links in agricultural supply such as agricultural infrastructure, and increase the production of agricultural products in short supply on the market. It is necessary to establish the concept of large agriculture and a broad food supply, and promote the coordinated planning of grain, cash crops, and feed, the integration of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries, the integration of planting, breeding, and processing, and the integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Safeguarding national food security is the basic bottom line of agricultural structural reform. It is necessary to protect staple grains such as rice and wheat, protect arable land, protect production capacity, and protect grain production in major producing areas, especially core producing areas, and ensure that grains are basically self-sufficient and staple grains are absolutely safe. It is necessary to fully give play to the leading role of various forms of appropriately scaled agricultural operations in structural reform. Agricultural support policies should be tilted toward appropriately scaled operating entities, while attention should also be paid to enabling farmers to share in the results. It is necessary to improve the price formation mechanism and purchase and storage policies for grain and other important agricultural products, and provide impetus for agricultural structural reform.