Yu Huihuai: Farmers must not be left behind in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects

In the busy 30 years that followed, that young farmer not only grew into a well-known "grain-growing king" in Northeast China, but also became a household name as "a skilled hand at leading rural areas to create wealth."

"To build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, farmers must not be left behind." On the 3rd, Yu Huihuai, who came to Beijing to attend the Fourth Session of the 12th National People's Congress, said in an interview with a China News Service reporter that the "13th Five-Year Plan" period is the decisive stage for China to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. For farmers to become prosperous and strive for a better life, agricultural mechanization is indispensable.

"General Secretary Xi Jinping once said, 'For China to be strong, agriculture must be strong; for China to be beautiful, rural areas must be beautiful; for China to be prosperous, farmers must be prosperous.'" Yu Huihuai believes that agricultural modernization has become the main thread of the "13th Five-Year Plan." As the foundation of agricultural modernization, the level of agricultural mechanization needs to be greatly raised.

Solving the issues relating to agriculture, rural areas and farmers well is the focus and difficulty of achieving the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In this regard, Yu Huihuai constantly thinks about how to speed up agricultural development, accelerate farmers' prosperity, and promote increased production and income in rural areas. He reached one conclusion: science and technology must be relied upon. "China needs to take a path of modern agriculture with distinctive characteristics. From seed production, to high-efficiency pesticides, to team building, carrying out reform of agriculture, rural areas and farmers requires giving agriculture the wings of science and technology."

Not only that, Yu Huihuai stressed the role of "large grain-growing households" in agricultural development under the "13th Five-Year Plan." "'Large grain-growing households' lead the country's agricultural development with professional, advanced technology and ideas, forming support for building a moderately prosperous society. 'Large grain-growing households' must lead the broad masses of farmers in contiguous management, lower costs, and develop distinctive, high-efficiency agriculture."

Recalling his entrepreneurial experience back then, Yu Huihuai deeply felt the magic of agricultural mechanization. "At that time, mechanized equipment was not yet comprehensive, and technology was not yet complete. When I mentioned agricultural mechanization to my fellow villagers, none of them believed it. Promoting the development of agricultural mechanization requires farmers to accept advanced ideas."

Yu Huihuai believes that the country's preferential agricultural policies paved a broad road for agricultural mechanization. "Before 2000, farmers were unwilling to work the land." He said with emotion that at that time, farmers contracted land themselves, and farming was less profitable than working as a migrant worker. As the country increasingly valued agriculture and successively introduced preferential agricultural policies, farmers not only no longer had to pay agricultural taxes for farming, but also received various comprehensive subsidies. "Previously, agriculture supported industry; now, industry gives back to agriculture."

"Mechanical rice transplanting yields more than 200 times more per mu than manual transplanting, and the grains are plump." Using the role of the rice transplanter as an example, Yu Huihuai told reporters, "In recent years, farmers have longed for high-efficiency, energy-saving agriculture. Farmers cannot do without mechanization."

Under Yu Huihuai's active promotion and leadership, the fields of Liujianfang Township, Liaozhong County, Liaoning Province, changed their appearance. After joining an agricultural cooperative, farmers could increase their income by 350 yuan per mu, and annual income was very promising. "Favorable agricultural policies and agricultural mechanization have let farmers taste the sweetness."

"Each place has its highlights, and each place has its difficulties." For mountainous and rural areas developing more slowly, Yu Huihuai suggested transferring land to "large agricultural households" and agricultural cooperatives, and letting "skilled farmers who know how to farm" engage in secondary and tertiary industry operations. "When resources are scarce, a region's advantages must be fully brought into play, using distinctive agriculture and sightseeing tourism agriculture to increase added value and change the current predicament. As everyone strives for a better life, farmers in mountainous areas equally must not be left behind."