Contract farming model resolves farmers' worries

Difficulty in selling agricultural products is a major problem currently affecting farmers' income growth. However, farmers in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, a pilot area for agricultural reform and construction under the National Modern Agriculture Demonstration Zone, rarely face this problem. This is because the city seized the opportunity of the demonstration zone pilot, made great efforts to comprehensively promote contract production, and raised the contract rate of agricultural products in the demonstration zone to nearly 60%, largely resolving farmers' worries. In 2015, the total agricultural output value of the demonstration zone reached 26.4 billion yuan, and the per capita disposable income of farmers reached 15,100 yuan.

During the pilot construction process, the city adhered to market orientation, actively broadened circulation channels, and made the production-sales linkage model more mature. It set up a 10 million yuan enterprise contract performance risk fund, established stable purchase and sales relationships with enterprises such as COFCO, Huiyuan Juice, Carrefour, and Walmart, and greatly increased the contract production ratio of agricultural products in the demonstration zone. On this basis, it vigorously created famous and high-quality products, promoted and publicized the "Guocheng Brand" regional public brand, registered 468 agricultural product trademarks, applied for 15 geographical indication agricultural products, had 1.642 million mu of bases pass pollution-free agricultural product origin certification, and had 163,000 mu of bases pass organic certification.

It is reported that Nanchong City became one of the first batch of National Modern Agriculture Demonstration Zones in August 2010, and was shortlisted in May 2013 as one of 21 national agricultural reform and construction pilot demonstration zones. Over the past few years, the city's pilot work has achieved remarkable results: strengthening support and cultivation, expanding business entities, and making the new agricultural management system more complete; highlighting project integration, strengthening investment guarantees, and making new fiscal support methods more efficient; relying on financial capital, improving the service system, and making the new agricultural investment and financing mechanism more optimized; giving play to the insurance function, enhancing the ability to protect agriculture, and making new risk prevention measures more powerful; improving supporting facilities, strengthening scientific and technological support, and making new characteristic industry bases more modern.

In order to provide solid guarantees for the pilot work, all counties and districts in the city always regarded promoting the pilot as a key lever for "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" work, continuously enriched and improved the leading group and management committee office for agricultural reform and construction in the demonstration zone, established a joint conference system for demonstration zone construction, and promoted the pilot work as a "top leader" project. Municipal and county (district) finances increased special pilot funds year by year, and actively sought support from central and provincial fiscal funds, ensuring the rapid advancement of the pilot work. Generally, the "battle map" for project construction was formulated at the beginning of the year, clarifying project construction content and goals. A "Project Construction Task Guide" was produced, subdividing construction goals down to fields and plots, with county and district leaders in charge, county-level department leaders, and township leaders as three-level responsible persons, forming a clear "responsibility statement." The Municipal National Modern Agriculture Demonstration Zone Management Committee Office formed a special supervision group to promote the project work method of "weekly supervision and notification, monthly listing and incentives, and quarterly on-site meeting promotion," and vigorously pursued implementation with a style of "not fearing offending people." Every week, projects behind schedule were photographed, people not in proper condition and matters affecting project progress were identified, and a special report was formed and notified to the project-related responsible persons.