Accelerate agricultural transformation and upgrading, improve the quality of agricultural development

Since the “12th Five-Year Plan”, remarkable achievements have been made in the development of the crop farming sector, grain output has achieved “12 consecutive increases”, production, quality and efficiency have steadily improved, new progress has been made in transforming the agricultural development model, and it has become a highlight of economic and social development. The year 2016 is the opening year of the decisive stage in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The development of the crop farming sector faces many difficulties and problems, but also ushers in rare opportunities. We must seize the opportunities, respond to the challenges, implement the new development philosophy, highlight the main direction of “stabilizing production capacity, adjusting the structure and transforming the development model”, accelerate transformation and upgrading, and comprehensively improve the quality of development.

“Stabilizing production capacity” is an important prerequisite for the sustained and stable development of the crop farming sector. This year, the primary task is still to do a good job in grain production and prevent a decline in grain output. In the long run, the key lies in strengthening the construction of high-standard farmland, and the crux is to implement the strategies of “storing grain in the land” and “storing grain in technology” to consolidate and enhance grain production capacity. Implementing the strategy of “storing grain in the land” focuses on doing solid work in the three aspects of “protecting, building and improving”. “Protecting” means strictly protecting cultivated land; an important task is to designate permanent basic farmland, and in particular to first designate as permanent basic farmland the high-quality cultivated land around 106 key cities and along transport routes that is vulnerable to being occupied, as well as newly built high-standard farmland. “Building” means strengthening the construction of major grain-producing areas and grain production functional zones, and accelerating the construction of high-standard farmland that is concentrated and contiguous, yields reliable harvests despite drought or excessive rain, is high-yielding and stable, and is ecologically friendly. During the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, it is necessary to ensure the completion of 800 million mu and strive to complete 1 billion mu. “Improving” means carrying out in depth actions to protect and improve the quality of cultivated land, focusing on the protection and utilization of the black soil in Northeast China, the remediation of heavy metal pollution in cultivated land, and comprehensive treatment of areas with severe groundwater overexploitation as key levers, so as to comprehensively improve the quality of cultivated land. Implementing the strategy of “storing grain in technology” focuses on doing solid work in three links. First, promote scientific and technological innovation with the seed industry as the focus, and accelerate the breeding of a batch of new varieties that are high-yielding and stable, have high added value, are suitable for mechanized operations and make efficient use of fertilizer and water. Second, promote integrated innovation led by green development, carry out in depth green, high-yield and high-efficiency grain creation and model research, concentrate efforts on overcoming technical bottlenecks affecting yield increases, quality improvements, efficiency gains and environmental improvement, integrate and assemble regional, standardized and sustainable technical models, and lead the transformation of agricultural production methods. Third, promote service innovation with information as the carrier, implement “Internet plus” modern crop farming, integrate modern information technology into services such as unified prevention and control of pests and diseases and unified allocation and application of fertilizers, and promote the improvement and upgrading of the entire crop farming industry chain.

“Adjusting the structure” is an important task in advancing agricultural supply-side reform. We must adhere to market orientation, technological support and ecological priority, aim to enhance the supply capacity of grain and other agricultural products, the quality, efficiency and competitiveness of agricultural products, and the capacity for sustainable development, optimize variety structure and regional layout, and accelerate the building of a development pattern featuring coordinated grain, economic crops and feed, combined farming and animal husbandry, integrated planting, breeding and processing, and integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries. This year, we will focus on three tasks: First, promote the structural adjustment of corn in the “sickle bend” region. Strive to reduce the corn area by more than 10 million mu. This is a hard task, and hard measures must be taken to complete it with guaranteed quality and quantity. It is necessary to connect with each province, break down the tasks level by level, and ensure that the reduction tasks are implemented in counties, townships and households. It is necessary to implement substitute crops and, in line with local conditions, develop silage corn, forage grass, miscellaneous grains and miscellaneous beans and other crops. It is necessary to clarify the direction of adjustment: adjust according to suitability, reducing corn in high-latitude and arid areas; adjust in combination with planting and breeding, reducing grain corn and developing silage corn and alfalfa; adjust for ecological protection, reducing corn planting in rocky desertification areas; adjust in combination with farming and land cultivation, restoring soybean-corn rotation in Northeast China; adjust with both preservation and reduction, stabilizing core production areas and reducing non-advantageous areas; and adjust around the market, implementing order-based planting and breeding and integration of production, processing and sales. Second, explore pilot projects for a cultivated land rotation and fallow system. Encourage rotation and be cautious about fallow. Fallow is limited to pilot projects in areas such as groundwater funnel areas, heavy metal pollution areas and areas with severe ecological degradation. Abandoning cultivation and leaving land wastefully uncultivated are prohibited. Third, actively promote the development of potatoes as a staple food. Accelerate research and development of special potato varieties for staple food use and innovation in processing formulas and techniques for potato steamed buns, noodles and other products, support pilot provinces and cities in developing potato staple food products, and radiate and drive surrounding areas. Strengthen publicity and guidance for healthy consumption and cultivate a group of consumer groups.

⟦NL> “Transforming the development model” is an effective way to break through resource and environmental constraints. The focus is on transforming production methods, agricultural operation methods and resource utilization methods. This year, we must effectively do a good job in the following tasks: First, vigorously promote the action of zero growth in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Carry out in depth the action of zero growth in chemical fertilizer use. Highlight key crops in “promotion”, taking corn, vegetables, fruits and other crops with large fertilizer use as the focus and reducing use in a targeted way. Innovate methods in “promotion”, improve fertilization methods, promote new types of fertilizer, implement substitution with organic fertilizer, and reduce use through multiple measures. Gather strength in “promotion”, form innovation alliances, carry out cooperation between agricultural enterprises, give play to the role of new-type business entities, and demonstrate and drive reductions. Carry out in depth the action of zero growth in pesticide use, promote the integration of specialized unified prevention and control with green prevention and control, apply technologies such as physical control and biological control, and reduce use through integrated prevention and control. Promote unified prevention and control, cultivate specialized service organizations, and reduce use by improving control effects. Promote scientific and precise application of pesticides, apply new types of pesticide equipment and aerial plant protection, and reduce use by improving utilization rates. Second, vigorously promote quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of horticultural crops. Promote the creation of standard orchards, assemble a batch of regional, standardized, high-yield, high-efficiency and sustainable technical models, promote expansion from “orchards” to “zones”, and, in line with local conditions, promote this across entire townships (towns) and entire counties (cities) as whole units, so as to drive larger-scale quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of horticultural crops. Promote the upgrading of the “three grades” of horticultural crops. Accelerate variety improvement, and breed a batch of varieties that are marketable, have a reasonable ripening period, are of excellent quality and have independent intellectual property rights. Accelerate quality improvement, build a batch of virus-free improved variety breeding bases for fruit trees and clonal improved variety breeding bases for tea trees, and carry out renovation of old fruit (tea) orchards. Accelerate brand creation, carry out various forms of brand promotion activities, and enhance brand awareness. At the same time, step up efforts to promote pilot projects for the development of winter facility vegetables in northern cities. Safeguard the quality and safety of agricultural products. Gradually establish a traceability system for agricultural product quality, promote high-efficiency, low-toxicity and low-residue pesticides, continue to carry out designated operation of highly toxic pesticides in key fruit, vegetable and tea production areas, and safeguard the quality and safety of fresh agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables and tea. Third, vigorously promote the development of water-saving agriculture. Integrate water-saving technologies, and improve the water resource utilization rate through variety-based water saving, agronomic water saving and engineering-based water saving, and also by promoting integrated water and fertilizer technology. Promote institutional water saving, study pilot programs for implementing water price reform, and guide farmers to consciously save water.