How can food security be guaranteed? Comprehensive measures are key
The Central Rural Work Conference emphasized: safeguarding national food security is the basic bottom line of agricultural structural reform, and it is necessary to ensure that grain is basically self-sufficient and staple rations are absolutely secure. This has set the tone and pointed out the direction for us to further do a good job in food security work.
Last year, China's grain output achieved a historic “twelve consecutive increases,” but as grain supply and demand became more ample, inventories increased and fiscal pressure worsened, the “passing the test” theory and the “burden” theory regarding grain began to resurface. In addition, the marginal effects of the various production factors promoting grain production were diminishing and pressure on resources and the environment was tightening, so the pressure for consecutive years of grain growth became greater and greater, and China's food security issue entered a new stage. Facing the new situation, in dealing with the food security issue, it is essential to closely combine strategic thinking with a fact-based attitude: having a little more or a little less grain at a given time is a technical issue, but food security is a strategic issue. At all times, it is necessary to understand deeply and clearly that food security is the “ballast stone” of social stability, and the degree of attention paid to it must not be lowered for even a moment; the drive to value agriculture and grasp grain production can only be boosted, not slackened. On the other hand, it is also necessary to be pragmatic and realistic, respect objective laws, respect market laws, and fully recognize the real difficulties of continuous increases in grain output. In production, especially in planted area, flexibility may be allowed, but the output of staple rations must be guaranteed, and the supply capacity must be preserved.
⟦NL> Under the new situation, it is necessary to concentrate more efforts on safeguarding grain production capacity and promote the continuous consolidation and improvement of grain production capacity. Optimize and activate all kinds of factors, and deepen reform in resource utilization, scientific and technological levels, policy support, and the operating system, so as to ensure strategic food security through the optimization and upgrading of production capacity.
To promote the optimization and upgrading of grain production capacity, it is necessary to make full efforts in resource utilization. Land is the most core production factor in grain production. We must continue to firmly uphold the red line of 1.8 billion mu of cultivated land in both quantity and quality, designate permanent basic farmland, explore the establishment of grain production functional zones and core zones, and build high-standard farmland that is concentrated and contiguous, ensures stable yields despite drought or excessive rain, is high-yield and efficient, and is environmentally friendly. It is also necessary to continuously promote the degree of “greening” in grain production, advance the action of zero growth in chemical fertilizers and pesticides, vigorously develop water-saving agriculture and ecological circular agriculture, and improve the sustainability of resource utilization in grain production.
To promote the optimization and upgrading of grain production capacity, it is necessary to do more work on the scientific and technological level. It is necessary to continue to increase research on the breeding of major grain crops, prevention and control of major pests and diseases, and modern agricultural biotechnology with genomics as the core, strive to break through a number of common key technologies, and achieve key progress. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the advancement of agricultural mechanization and informatization, continue to expand full mechanization in sowing, management and harvesting of major grain crops, and, with the help of promoting “Internet plus” modern agriculture pilot projects, continuously raise the scientific and technological contribution rate of major grain production capacity.
To promote the optimization and upgrading of grain production capacity, it is necessary to increase policy support. It is necessary to improve the pertinence of policies and the effectiveness of the use of funds, and ensure farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain. Under the new situation, particular attention should be paid to exploring and establishing a green and ecological-oriented agricultural subsidy system. Comprehensively promote the reform of “combining three subsidies into one,” improve the price formation mechanism for agricultural products, and in adjusting the minimum purchase price policy, especially highlight the protection of farmers' interests, continuously optimize policy instruments such as subsidies, prices, finance and insurance, and mobilize and protect farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain.
To promote the optimization and upgrading of grain production capacity, it is necessary to cultivate innovation in the operating system. It is necessary to deepen reform, continue to advance appropriately scaled agricultural operations, and give full play to the advantages of appropriately scaled operations in agricultural mechanization and the application of scientific and technological achievements. It is necessary to continuously cultivate new types of agricultural operating entities and improve their overall quality in science and technology, markets, ecology and other aspects. It is necessary to seek grain production capacity from appropriate scale and from the improvement of the quality of new types of entities, and promote the optimization and upgrading of grain production capacity through continued deepening of reform in the operating system.
Reduce inventories and strengthen the structural adjustment of grain production; lower costs and improve the overall efficiency and competitiveness of grain production; shore up weaknesses and accelerate the improvement of the overall capacity of grain production. In the final analysis, all of these must be implemented in safeguarding grain production capacity and promoting its consolidation, improvement, optimization and upgrading, and in essence these measures are a process of promoting the conversion of old and new drivers of food security and cultivating healthier and more sustainable growth drivers. In this sense, to promote food security, it is necessary to place greater emphasis on factors such as scientific and technological support, green ecology, and reform and innovation, improve people's quality, and thereby seek the upgrading of grain production capacity and a higher-level guarantee of food security.
“Of all affairs, eating is the greatest.” Food security is not only an agricultural issue, but also an overall issue related to national stability. On the food security issue, there must not be any mentality of pride and complacency, paralysis and carelessness, or taking chances and slackness. Historical experience has repeatedly shown that if major setbacks occur in grain, a long recovery period will be needed, bringing enormous passivity to the overall development of the country. On the basis of consecutive years of bumper grain harvests at present, we must, with ten thousandfold determination, resolutely prevent a major slide in grain, and should also plan before acting, accelerate the conversion of old and new drivers, and, with new development concepts, cultivate green, healthy and sustainable new grain production capacity, ensure food security, and provide a solid guarantee for the overall situation of economic and social development.