How does the central government guide the transformation of agricultural development mode through fiscal policy?
Currently, China's agricultural development is facing tremendous changes and challenges. The "ceiling" capping effect on agricultural product prices is beginning to emerge, the squeeze from the rising "floor" of costs is becoming increasingly obvious, the "yellow line" of agricultural production and price subsidies is being approached, and the "red light" of resources and environment is beginning to flash. We have reached the stage where we must accelerate the transformation of agricultural development mode.
This year, the central government placed accelerating the transformation of agricultural development mode in an important position. Based on the fundamental laws and key tasks of agricultural modernization, it adjusted support methods, highlighted support priorities, further enhanced the targeting, precision and effectiveness of fiscal support for agriculture, and accelerated the pace of agricultural modernization.
Keywords: integration of agriculture-related funds
Improving fiscal subsidy policies and promoting the integration of agriculture-related funds
In order to transform the agricultural development mode and improve the effectiveness of agricultural subsidy policies, in May this year, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture issued the "Guiding Opinions on Adjusting and Improving the Three Agricultural Subsidy Policies," adjusting and improving three subsidy policies: the crop improved seed subsidy, the direct subsidy to grain farmers, and the comprehensive agricultural input subsidy.
The main content of the adjustment and improvement of the agricultural "three subsidies" policy is divided into two aspects: First, nationwide, 20% of the comprehensive agricultural input subsidy funds will be adjusted to support moderate-scale grain operations. Based on the decline in agricultural input prices, each province, autonomous region, municipality directly under the Central Government, and municipality with independent planning status shall adjust 20% of the funds from the comprehensive agricultural input subsidy allocated and issued by the central government, plus the pilot funds for large grain growers' subsidies and the incremental funds of the agricultural "three subsidies," to be used in a coordinated manner to support moderate-scale grain operations. Second, some regions will be selected to carry out pilot reforms of the agricultural "three subsidies." This year, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture selected 5 provinces including Anhui, Shandong, Hunan, Sichuan and Zhejiang, and the provinces selected some counties and cities to carry out pilot reforms of the agricultural "three subsidies." The main content of the pilot is to merge the agricultural "three subsidies" into "agricultural support and protection subsidies," with the policy goal adjusted to support the protection of cultivated land fertility and moderate-scale grain operations. 80% of the existing comprehensive agricultural input subsidy funds, plus the direct subsidy to grain farmers and the crop improved seed subsidy funds, will be used for the protection of cultivated land fertility. 20% of the existing comprehensive agricultural input subsidy funds, plus the pilot funds for large grain growers' subsidies and the incremental funds of the agricultural "three subsidies," will be concentrated on supporting moderate-scale grain operations in accordance with the requirements of the unified adjustment and improvement policy.
Comprehensive agricultural development has also further improved and innovated the mode of fiscal fund investment, giving full play to the guiding role of market mechanisms in driving the distribution of fund investment. First, increase fiscal fund investment in comprehensive agricultural development, and encourage all regions to invest funds from channels such as revenue from the transfer of state-owned land use rights into comprehensive agricultural development. Second, improve the fiscal fund guidance mechanism to leverage more financial capital investment. Third, innovate ways to guide social funds, and encourage regions with the necessary conditions to adopt the method of "building first and subsidizing later, rewarding instead of subsidizing," to guide and drive new-type agricultural operating entities such as family farms, specialized large households, farmer cooperatives and leading industrialized enterprises to increase development investment. Appropriately broaden the scope of use of funds for industrialized operation projects, explore new models of establishing equity investment funds and equity guidance funds to support the development of agricultural industrialization, and use market mechanisms to guide and drive social capital investment.
This year, the central government focused on institutional and mechanism innovation, pushing the integration of agriculture-related funds into a new stage. It steadily advanced the pilot integration of agriculture-related funds in Heilongjiang's "two major plains," and on the basis of summarizing pilot experience, creatively studied and proposed the next steps for the pilot. It selected some cities and counties in 4 provinces including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Henan and Hunan to plan and carry out pilot integration and optimization of agriculture-related funds, encouraging pilot cities and counties to use agriculture-related funds in a coordinated manner. In the performance evaluation of modern agricultural production development funds, fund integration continues to be an important indicator, and some reward funds are allocated to encourage and guide localities to increase integration efforts in light of local conditions.
Keywords: modern agriculture
Improving comprehensive agricultural production capacity and accelerating modern agriculture construction
Under the new normal, the most urgent task for advancing modern agricultural development is to "transform the mode and adjust the structure." This year, the central government continued to vigorously support the development of local advantageous and characteristic leading industries, promoted moderate-scale agricultural operations, effectively guaranteed the effective supply and quality safety of grain and other major agricultural products, promoted the adjustment of the agricultural industrial structure and sustainable development, and accelerated the pace of modern agriculture construction.
This year, China's grain output reached 1.24 trillion jin, the self-sufficiency rate of the three major grains of rice, wheat and corn remained above 98%, and per capita grain possession reached 450 kg, higher than the world average. However, for some time, China's grain has shown a situation of "simultaneous increase in three quantities" of production, inventory and imports, and grain reform must shift from the demand side to the supply side. To overcome the contradictions in grain production, it is necessary to promote grain production from focusing mainly on quantity growth to placing equal emphasis on quantity, quality and efficiency.
To consolidate and improve comprehensive agricultural production capacity, it is necessary to advance farmland water conservancy construction on a large scale and build high-standard farmland, realizing "storing grain in the land." This year, the central government allocated 41.786 billion yuan in subsidy funds for farmland water conservancy facility construction, comprehensively advancing efficient water-saving irrigation in accordance with the approach of water-saving and grain-increasing in the Northeast, water-saving and extraction-reducing in North China, water-saving and efficiency-increasing in the Northwest, and water-saving and emission-reducing in the South; supporting the construction of key farmland water conservancy counties, drought-relief planning water diversion and lifting projects, and supporting facilities renovation and water-saving transformation of large irrigation districts, and providing subsidies for the maintenance and repair of farmland water conservancy facilities. In recent years, the central government has concentrated its efforts on supporting the construction of high-standard farmland that ensures stable yields despite drought or excessive rain, high and stable yields, and water-saving and high efficiency, comprehensively improving agricultural production conditions and enhancing comprehensive agricultural production capacity. It has vigorously strengthened water-saving supporting transformation of medium-sized irrigation districts, ensuring that high-standard farmland and water-saving supporting transformation of medium-sized irrigation districts are planned simultaneously, implemented simultaneously, and produce benefits simultaneously. The central government innovated the mechanism for high-standard farmland construction to accelerate construction progress. It expanded funding investment channels, gave full play to the strength of new-type agricultural operating entities, made full use of the results of permanent basic farmland designation, and adopted targeted governance measures. Data show that since the "12th Five-Year Plan," national comprehensive agricultural development has invested a cumulative total of 207.086 billion yuan in fiscal funds, transformed low- and medium-yield farmland and built 108 million mu of high-standard farmland, increased grain production capacity by more than 100 kg per mu, and through the implementation of high-standard farmland construction projects, increased income by nearly 300 yuan per mu annually.
In terms of fiscal support for modern agriculture construction, this year the central government allocated 20.36 billion yuan in modern agricultural production development funds, vigorously supporting the development of local grain and advantageous characteristic leading industries, and making support for the development of various forms of moderate-scale operations the focus and direction of fund use. In accordance with the principle of "central macro guidance, local independent selection," it supports all localities in highlighting key links, accelerating the development of grain and other advantageous characteristic leading industries, making leading industries bigger and stronger, and promoting farmers' income growth.
In exploring the integrated development model of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in agriculture, this year the central government allocated 1 billion yuan to support 9 provinces including Henan and Shandong as well as the characteristic agriculture province and region of Ningxia, focusing on the two major staple grain crops of rice and wheat as well as some characteristic and advantageous agricultural products, to explore new forms and new models of agricultural development, expand new agricultural functions, and promote the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries.
In advancing the adjustment of planting structure, this year the central government allocated 300 million yuan to carry out pilot adjustments of grain and feed structure in the high-cold and high-latitude regions of the North, the arid and semi-arid regions of the Northwest, and the farming-pastoral ecotone, promoting the adjustment of planting structure in pilot areas in accordance with the model of determining reform by livestock, dual use of grain and feed, combining planting and breeding, and using breeding to drive planting. In order to promote the accelerated construction of a new-type agricultural operating system and continuously improve the degree of farmer organization, this year the central government allocated 2 billion yuan to actively support the development of specialized farmer cooperative organizations. Among this, 600 million yuan was specially allocated to continue supporting 12 provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government) including Jiangsu and Chongqing in carrying out pilot fiscal support for farmer cooperatives, further consolidating pilot results and exploring innovative mechanisms. In accordance with the requirements of optimizing structure and improving quality and efficiency, pilot provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government) may flexibly choose effective models such as strengthening cooperation with financial and social capital, building public service platforms, and government purchase of services, to promote and apply them on a larger scale, giving full play to the typical demonstration and driving role of the pilot. At the same time, 1 billion yuan was allocated to continue supporting 13 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government) including Hebei and Sichuan in carrying out pilot socialized services for the entire agricultural production process, and Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Fujian were newly included in the subsidy scope, with funds used to promote innovation in the socialized service mechanism for agricultural production and drive the scaled and organized development of agricultural production.
Keywords: sustainable development
Science and technology and ecology first, promoting sustainable agricultural development
To accelerate the transformation of agricultural development mode, it is necessary to accelerate the establishment of a modern agricultural science and technology innovation system, pay attention to agricultural ecological environmental protection and governance, and achieve sustainable agricultural development.
In order to accelerate the advancement of agricultural mechanization and improve comprehensive agricultural production capacity. This year, the central government allocated 23.645 billion yuan in agricultural machinery purchase subsidies, providing subsidies to individuals and agricultural production and operating organizations directly engaged in agricultural production for the purchase and use of advanced and suitable agricultural machinery. It focuses on supporting machinery needed for key links in the production of major crops such as grain, cotton, oil and sugar, while also taking into account machinery needed for the development of animal husbandry, fisheries, facility agriculture, forestry and fruit industry, and primary processing of agricultural products. It is understood that since the implementation of the agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policy in 2004, the central government has continuously increased support, and as of this year has cumulatively allocated 143.507 billion yuan, playing a positive role in mobilizing farmers' enthusiasm to purchase and use agricultural machinery, adjusting and optimizing the structure of agricultural machinery and equipment, improving the level of mechanized agricultural operations, and promoting the sound and rapid development of agricultural mechanization and the agricultural machinery industry.
As the primary driving factor for ensuring China's food security and sustained agricultural growth, the contribution rate of science and technology to agricultural growth has reached 55.2%. Agricultural science and technology is becoming an important support for transforming the agricultural development mode, promoting increased agricultural production and efficiency, and sustained growth of farmers' income.
In June this year, the central government allocated 2.6 billion yuan in funds for the transformation and technical promotion of agricultural and forestry science and technology achievements, to support the reform and construction of the grassroots agricultural technology promotion system. From 2009 to now, this project has cumulatively invested 12.75 billion yuan. Since the implementation of this policy, it has effectively promoted the reform and construction of the grassroots agricultural technology promotion system, clarified the public welfare positioning of grassroots agricultural technology promotion work, stabilized the agricultural technology promotion team, and accelerated the transformation of agricultural science and technology achievements.
In the same month, the central government allocated 1 billion yuan in funds for the transformation and technical promotion of agricultural and forestry science and technology achievements, for carrying out dryland farming technology promotion work in the arid regions of North China, Northeast China and Northwest China, focusing on supporting the promotion and application of plastic film mulching technology. At the same time, localities are required to do a good job in plastic film recovery and reuse through the subsidy method of "trade-in for new," reducing "white pollution" in farmland. Data show that since implementation in 2010, the central government has cumulatively invested 4.8 billion yuan to support dryland farming technology promotion, changing the agricultural production mode in the arid regions of North China, Northeast China and Northwest China.
Resource conservation and environmental friendliness are the basic requirements of modern agriculture and also the focus of transforming the agricultural development mode.
In order to explore a replicable and promotable heavy metal-contaminated cultivated land remediation and governance route that combines prevention and control with governance, this year the central government allocated 1.5 billion yuan, an increase of 344 million yuan over the previous year, to support Hunan Province in continuing to carry out in depth the pilot for remediation and governance of heavy metal-contaminated cultivated land.
In terms of comprehensive governance of groundwater overexploitation, this year the central government allocated 6.9 billion yuan, further increasing investment in Hebei Province, and supporting Hebei Province in expanding the pilot scope from 4 cities and 49 counties (districts, cities) in 2014 to 5 cities and 63 counties (districts, cities).
According to the "Overall Plan for a New Round of Returning Farmland to Forest and Grassland," this year the state arranged a new round of tasks for returning farmland to forest and grassland of 10 million mu. The central government allocated 4.964 billion yuan in special funds for the new round of returning farmland to forest and grassland.
This year, the central government further increased support for natural forest resource protection, allocating 19.5 billion yuan in special fiscal funds for the natural forest resource protection project, supporting the comprehensive cessation of commercial logging of natural forests in the key state-owned forest areas of Northeast China and Inner Mongolia, appropriately raising subsidy standards such as state-owned forest management and protection fees and employee social insurance subsidy fees for the Natural Forest Protection Project, and gradually achieving full coverage of natural forest protection policies.
This year, the central government further increased support for wetland protection, allocating 1.6 billion yuan in wetland subsidies. With the strong support of the central government, the area and number of wetlands in some regions of China have increased significantly, and wetland ecological functions are gradually recovering.
In order to promote the development of ecologically friendly agriculture, this year the central government allocated 1.272 billion yuan, an increase of 500 million yuan over the previous year, to continue promoting and applying soil organic matter improvement measures such as returning straw to the field for decomposition, applying bio-organic fertilizer, and comprehensive supporting technologies for soil fertility improvement. Among this, 500 million yuan was allocated to carry out pilot protection and utilization of the black soil in Northeast China.