Promote agriculture that not only grows well but also sells better

Heilongjiang is the largest grain-producing province in the country, and also the largest corn-planting province in the country. Advancing supply-side structural reform and promoting agricultural efficiency and farmers' income growth is an extremely arduous task. Wang Jinhui, director of the Provincial Agricultural Commission, said in an interview with reporters that since the beginning of this year, the whole province has actively adapted to the new situation of agricultural supply-side structural reform and the adjustment of the corn purchase and storage system, adhered to comprehensive measures, precise efforts, and a combination of policies, vigorously developed high-quality and efficient agriculture, and enhanced agricultural quality, efficiency and farmers' income through multiple channels.

Wang Jinhui said that in promoting agricultural efficiency, the focus was first placed on adjusting the planting structure and improving quality. The whole province actively reduced corn and increased high-value and high-efficiency crops such as rice, soybeans, miscellaneous grains, forage and grasses, and fruits and vegetables, seeking efficiency from structural adjustment. The planting structure showed "one decrease and seven increases", namely a reduction in corn area, and increases in the area of rice, soybeans, wheat, miscellaneous grains and beans, potatoes, cash crops, and feed and forage. According to agricultural surveys, the province's corn area was reduced by about 20 million mu. This year, the whole province focused on improving the quality of ordinary varieties, with all corn varieties pushed back by one accumulated temperature zone, rice focusing on the promotion of more than 20 high-quality varieties such as Wuyou Rice No. 2 and Longdao 18, and soybeans focusing on the development of edible high-protein soybean planting. In particular, it highlighted 1,170 "Internet + agriculture" high-standard green and organic planting demonstration bases, and selected more than 120 model fields for key development, making them the finest of the fine and giving full play to their demonstration role. Through "Internet + agriculture" high-standard demonstration bases, it drove the expansion and upgrading of green and organic food and expanded value-added space. The whole province vigorously carried out the agricultural "three reductions" action, reducing the input of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides on the basis of ensuring that yields do not decline. This year, the whole province implemented a total of 10.467 million mu of agricultural "three reductions" demonstration area. According to preliminary statistics, through the agricultural "three reductions" action, during the spring plowing period the whole province reduced chemical fertilizer use by 447,000 tons, and reduced herbicide use and chemical pesticide use by more than 7,100 tons.

Promote efficiency through deepening reform. Taking the construction of the "three systems" as the starting point, continue to deepen the comprehensive supporting reform experiment of modern agriculture in the two major plains, accelerate the innovation of systems and mechanisms, strengthen the creation and cultivation of new agricultural operating entities, drive land transfer, and develop moderate-scale operations to increase income. The province has 83,000 farmers' cooperatives registered with industry and commerce departments, and 109,000 family farms (specialized large households). Various types of agricultural social service organizations, such as production and service organizations, are accelerating development, deeply connecting with new operating entities, and integrating for development. At the same time, adhering to taking the agricultural product processing industry and leisure agriculture as the carrier, it promotes the integration of farmers' cooperatives with the secondary and tertiary industries, the forward extension and backward expansion of leading enterprises, and the penetration and integration of new information technologies such as "Internet +", seeking efficiency from the front end of the agricultural industry chain and the high end of the value chain. As of the end of June, the province's leisure agriculture operating entities had grown to 4,430, with operating revenue reaching 2.2 billion yuan, up 5% and 6% year on year respectively. The province's "one-product villages" and national-level "one village, one product" demonstration villages had grown to 43 and 1,800 respectively. In the first half of this year, the province's leading agricultural industrialization enterprises above designated size had grown to 1,920, with sales revenue reaching 143 billion yuan, further enhancing their ability to drive bases.

Do a good job in services to promote efficiency, promote agriculture to "grow well and sell better", and expand the space for increasing farmers' income. The whole province vigorously supports the construction of e-commerce platforms such as Shengtai Longjiang, Jinnong Network, and Green Food Micro Mall, with registered users and online sales steadily growing. As of the end of June, the Shengtai Longjiang agricultural e-commerce platform had 1,469 cooperatives and enterprises settled in, 39,576 registered users, and e-commerce transaction volume of 28.8457 million yuan. The Provincial Agricultural Commission cooperated with the Information Office of the Provincial Government to select rice, soybeans, miscellaneous grains and other varieties from 18 bases in the first round for crowdfunding, achieving phased results. It organized new operating entities such as farmers' professional cooperatives and family farms to participate in large-scale exhibitions such as the Heilongjiang Green Food (Beijing) New Year Shopping Fair, the Shanghai International Food Expo, and the China (Guangzhou) International Food and Ingredients Exhibition, actively carried out agricultural product brand promotion activities, further deepened production and sales cooperation, and expanded the market sales space for agricultural products. At the same time, it also strengthened insurance to reduce losses and promote efficiency. In accordance with the principles of "government guidance, market operation, voluntary participation, and coordinated advancement", the whole province continuously improved the central government fiscal premium subsidy-based crop insurance system, increased policy support, enhanced farmers' awareness of participation, and achieved agricultural loss reduction and efficiency improvement. In particular, 102 million mu of cultivated land in 33 counties (cities, districts) of the Songnen Plain was included as a key insurance area this year, achieving "full coverage where insurable".

Wang Jinhui said that next, the whole province should combine current and long-term considerations and strive to do a good job in improving agricultural quality and efficiency.

First, make every effort to fight disasters and secure a bumper harvest, firmly implement major measures such as "strengthening field management, seizing accumulated temperature, promoting early maturity, and preventing disasters", ensure a bumper agricultural harvest this year, consolidate and expand the achievements of agricultural supply-side reform, and make new contributions to safeguarding national food security and the effective supply of agricultural products.

Second, adjust and optimize the planting structure. Conscientiously summarize and study the results and experience of planting structure adjustment across the province this year, focus on building 19 green, high-yield and high-efficiency demonstration counties with high production standards, excellent product quality, long industrial chains, good demonstration effects, and ecological environmental protection, accelerate the construction of modern agricultural production demonstration display areas for corn, rice, soybeans, vegetables, etc., and make them models that lead the province's structural adjustment.

Third, vigorously develop "Internet + agriculture". Promote the deep integration of the Internet and agriculture, and improve the comprehensive quality, efficiency and market competitiveness of modern agriculture. Enrich and improve the construction content of "Internet +" high-standard green and organic planting demonstration bases, strengthen the construction of the Internet of Things and e-commerce platforms, and promote the upgrading of green and organic food production across the province. Do a good job in the crowdfunding work of "Internet +" high-standard green and organic planting demonstration bases. Hold the Shanghai Farmers' Cooperative Trade Fair, and organize large e-commerce enterprises inside and outside the province to connect with farmers' cooperatives and agricultural product processing enterprises in the province. Continue to organize college students to connect with "Internet + bases" to improve the market marketing level of the bases.

Deeply advance industrial integration and vigorously develop industrialized operations. Focusing on promoting the integrated upgrading of "grain head and food tail" and "agricultural head and industrial tail", actively develop whole-industry-chain operations. Support farmers' cooperatives and industrialized leading enterprises in strengthening the construction of processing and marketing facilities and enhancing processing and marketing capabilities. Promote farmer entrepreneurship, actively cultivate and establish typical groups of farmer entrepreneurs, encourage and guide farmers to start businesses, enable more farmers to participate in entrepreneurship in all links of the industrial chain, and achieve entrepreneurship-driven employment and income growth. Expand the multiple functions of agriculture, carry out activities to create national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration counties, the most beautiful leisure villages, and China Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, plan and release a batch of premium leisure agriculture and rural tourism routes, and concentrate on cultivating a batch of leisure farms that drive farmers to operate together.

At the same time, continue to deepen reform, focus on the construction of the "three systems", deepen the comprehensive supporting reform of modern agriculture in the two major plains, innovate systems and mechanisms, release development potential, and enhance the endogenous driving force for modern agricultural development. Increase innovation in operating entities, take cooperative production as the direction, accelerate the cultivation and creation of new agricultural operating entities such as family farms (specialized large households) and farmers' cooperatives, and develop moderate-scale operations. Actively guide and encourage farmers' cooperatives to carry out joint and cooperative efforts in multiple fields and multiple ways, establish cooperative unions, and improve production, operation and market development capabilities.