Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: We will continue to take good care of comprehensive regulation and control of pig production capacity to guide a better match between supply and demand
The Zhitong Finance App learned that on July 24, the State Information Office held a press conference on the operation of the agricultural and rural economy in the first half of 2026. Chen Bangxun, director of the Development Planning Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that with early measures being implemented and effective, starting at the end of June, the supply-demand relationship in the pig market gradually improved, price fluctuations rebounded, and breeding losses were reduced. At the end of the second quarter, the number of breeding sows in the country had been reduced to 37.8 million, a year-on-year decrease of 2.63 million, a decrease of 1.81 million compared to the end of 2025. The pace of pig production has slowed down, and the supply and demand situation continues to improve. However, it is worth noting that the current supply in the pig market is still generally abundant, and the pattern of strong supply and demand has not fundamentally changed. We will continue to take good care of comprehensive regulation of pig production capacity and issue warnings through multi-channel encryption to guide a better match between supply and demand. We also hope that farmers will pay close attention to changes in the supply and demand situation and arrange production rationally. We hope that all parties will work together to stabilize the upward trend in pig prices and try to avoid big ups and downs.
Zhang Xingwang, vice-minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that in terms of construction content, accuracy and effectiveness are outstanding. In line with the evolution of the urban and rural pattern and the changing trend of rural population, we guide all regions to coordinate and optimize the layout of villages and towns to create high-quality rural living spaces. Promote the implementation of projects to repair shortcomings in modern rural living conditions, coordinate and promote infrastructure construction such as water circuits and gas communication in rural areas; support regions that are in a position to do so to accelerate new infrastructure such as charging piles and charging stations; seize the focus of “one old, one small” and gradually improve the quality of rural education and medical care services; solve problems such as rural toilet changes and garbage surrounding villages with a nail spirit, promote rural domestic sewage treatment according to local conditions, and continue to rectify and improve the rural living environment. In terms of implementation methods, emphasis is placed on adapting to local conditions. In response to the current situation where rural development levels and local customs vary greatly, we guide all regions to start from reality and use counties, townships, and villages as units to explore effective ways to revitalize rural areas with their own characteristics and strengths.
Zhou Yunlong, director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that in the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, thoroughly implement seed industry revitalization actions, focus on ensuring the stable and safe supply of important agricultural products such as food, implement major scientific and technological projects in the national seed industry, improve the commercialized breeding innovation system with enterprises as the main body, and accelerate the selection of high-yield, high-quality, resistant, and exclusive breakthrough varieties. At the same time, the construction of seed industry bases will be strengthened, more high-quality seeds will be produced, strict variety certification and intellectual property protection will be strengthened, and market supervision and enforcement will be strengthened, so that farmers can use “safe seeds”.
The transcript is as follows:
Zhou Jianshe, Deputy Director of the Information Bureau and press spokesman of the Information Office of the State Council:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the press conference of the Information Office of the State Council. Today, we continue our routine release of economic data. We invited Mr. Zhang Xingwang, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, to introduce the agricultural and rural economy in the first half of 2026 and answer everyone's concerns. Also attending today's press conference were Mr. Chen Bangxun, Director of the Development Planning Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Mr. Xu Jianmin, Director of the Support Department; and Mr. Zhou Yunlong, Director of the Department of Science and Technology.
Now let's ask Mr. Zhang Xingwang for an introduction.
Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Zhang Xingwang:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, media friends! Everyone is welcome to today's press conference. I would also like to thank everyone for their long-term concern and attention to agricultural and rural farmers' issues, as well as their support for our work. Let me first introduce the basic situation of the agricultural and rural economy in the first half of the year.
Since this year, agricultural and rural departments at all levels have thoroughly studied and implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important remarks on the work of the “Three Farmers” and the spirit of the General Secretary's important speech during his visit to Dezhou, Shandong, earnestly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, anchored the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, and solidly promoted comprehensive rural revitalization. The entire agricultural and rural economy has maintained a steady, moderate and positive trend. This provides strong support for the overall stability and improvement of the entire national economy. Overall, there are a few characteristics:
First, summer grains have enjoyed a good harvest, and the quality of supply of important agricultural products has improved. Summer grain production overcame the effects of large-scale late sowing and multiple rounds of rainfall during the harvest period. Production reached a historic 301.49 billion kg, breaking through 300 billion kg for the first time, achieving success in the first round of grain production throughout the year; summer harvest oil also had another good harvest. As for the area under cultivation of autumn grains, we have adjusted the situation, and it is also expected to increase steadily and slightly. Currently, field crops are generally growing normally, and there is a good basis for seizing a good harvest of grain throughout the year. The supply of “vegetable basket” products is abundant. Everyone can feel this. The quantity, quality, and variety are all very good. In the first half of the year, the country's production of pork, beef, lamb and poultry reached 50.5 million tons, an increase of 4.3% over the same period last year. Domestic production of aquatic products was 35.12 million tons, an increase of 4.4% over the same period last year. The supply of vegetables, fruits, etc. was stable and the variety was rich. The effects of comprehensive regulation of pig production capacity are initially evident. The number of sows that can be bred has now been reduced to 37.8 million heads, returning back to the green and reasonable range of production capacity control. The country's standardized production area of green food ingredients reached 205 million mu, and the overall pass rate for routine monitoring of the quality and safety of agricultural products reached 98.2%.
Second, normalized support got off to a steady start, maintaining the bottom line that large-scale returns to poverty will not occur. Everyone knows that this year is the first year of normalized support. All relevant departments have adjusted and optimized moderately on the premise of maintaining overall policy stability, and have basically established a normalized support policy system. Continuously improve monitoring and support mechanisms, and formulate and implement targeted support measures with a “one household, one policy”. In fact, it's about getting the job done more accurately. Mainly open support, the central financial administration has allocated 177 billion yuan in normalized support funds, focusing on supporting industrial employment support and improving development conditions in underdeveloped regions. This scale of support is also the same during the transition period. Normalized support must also maintain this scale, give all regions a very stable expectation of support policy support, and focus on supporting the development of industrial employment. By the end of June, the number of laborers working out of poverty had exceeded 32 million, and the per capita disposable income growth rate of rural residents in poverty-alleviation counties continued to be higher than the national rural average. Give full play to the “four forces” of East-West collaboration, targeted assistance from central units, village-based support, and social support, and forge a strong synergy of normalized support.
Third, the level of agricultural modernization is steadily improving by integrating good fields, good seeds, good opportunities and good laws to increase efficiency. On good fields, high-standard farmland has been built with high quality. At present, more than 1 billion mu have been built, providing strong support and basic support for grain production to continuously reach a new level. In terms of good varieties, in-depth seed industry revitalization actions have been implemented. More than 95% of crops have been independently selected, and excellent varieties such as gibberell-resistant wheat, rice lice resistant rice, and domestic white feather broilers have been applied at an accelerated pace. The market share of domestic seed sources for vegetables, livestock, poultry, and aquatic products has exceeded 91%, 80%, and 86%, respectively. On a good opportunity, we will make up for the shortcomings in agricultural machinery equipment as soon as possible. We are vigorously promoting “excellent equipment” for agricultural machinery. More and more large-scale grain combine harvesters, high-speed rice transplanters, etc. are being promoted and applied, and the drying capacity of grain in places such as Huanghuaihai has been greatly improved. In this regard, we have experienced some difficulties in previous years, so all regions are speeding up efforts to make up for shortcomings in agricultural machinery. Extensive coverage of drying equipment is an important aspect of capacity building, and positive progress has also been made. According to good law, promoting key technologies to stabilize and increase production, such as rational intensive planting and integration of water and fertilizer, has encouraged more farmers to increase production and efficiency.
Fourth, rural investment and consumption are growing steadily, and the potential for rural demand continues to be unleashed. In the first half of this year, fixed asset investment in the primary sector was 460 billion yuan, an increase of 0.9% over the same period last year, and the value added of the primary sector increased by 3.7% year on year. Retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas were 3321.6 billion yuan, an increase of 2.5% over the same period last year, which is 1.3 percentage points higher than the urban growth rate. This means that rural consumption potential is huge. The resilience of rural consumption continues to be highlighted, becoming an important force in expanding domestic demand. The total import and export volume of agricultural products reached US$163.78 billion, an increase of 10.8% over the previous year.
Fifth, learning and applying the “10 Million Project” experience has taken a new step, and new progress has been made in the construction of livable and workable villages. The rural industry improved quality and efficiency. The value added of the agricultural and sideline food processing industry on a national scale increased by 4.8% year-on-year in the first half of the year, and new industries such as rural leisure tourism and rural e-commerce boomed. Rural construction progressed in an orderly manner. More than 300,000 new storage projects were added to the rural construction project bank in the first half of the year. The implemented project capital was close to 100 billion yuan. Roads, drainage, sanitary toilet renovation, domestic waste and sewage treatment, and old-age service facilities within the village continued to be improved. The effectiveness of rural governance has been steadily improving, and activities such as “village BA” and village runs organized independently by the peasant masses are healthy and exciting.
Sixth, rural reforms continue to be deepened, and the happiness of the peasant masses continues to increase. Firmly push ahead and extend the province-wide pilot project for another 30 years after the end of the second round of land contracts. More than 29 million farmers have successfully signed extended contracts. Deeply carry out the rectification of outstanding problems in rural collective “three capital” management. “Three funds” means the funds, assets, and resources we often talk about. We have simplified it to “three funds”. A total of 1.65 billion yuan of embezzled, misappropriated, withheld, and withdrawn collective funds have been recovered, and a number of “fly corruption and ants” problems have been rectified. Expand new agricultural operators and social service organizations, cultivate a total of about 6 million family farms, farmers' cooperatives, and more than 1.1 million operational social service entities, and promote organic links between small-scale farmers and modern agricultural development. Farmers' income has been growing steadily. According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 12,699 yuan in the first half of the year, an actual increase of 5.5% over the previous year. This growth rate was 2.1 percentage points faster than the growth rate of urban residents.
You may have noticed that last month, the country released the “Fifteenth Five-Year Plan” to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, drawing up construction plans and road maps for the development of the “three rural areas” over the next five years. In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will step up efforts and strengthen measures, implement them well, make every effort to consolidate and expand the achievements of the fight against poverty, promote the construction of livable and workable and American villages according to local conditions, continue to deepen rural reform, complete the goals and tasks of the whole year with high quality, promote comprehensive rural revitalization, and make new progress in agricultural and rural modernization, providing strong support for the “15th Five-Year Plan” and getting off to a good start.
I'll just introduce these. Now my colleagues and I would like to answer everyone's questions.
Zhou Jianshe:
Thank you, Vice Minister Zhang Xingwang, for the introduction. Please ask your questions now. Please inform your news agency before asking questions.
CCTV Reporter from China Central Radio and Television:
We know that the “15th Five-Year Plan” clearly states that it is necessary to learn and apply the experience of the “10 Million Project” to promote rural revitalization in an orderly manner and regionalization. Excuse me, what are some useful places to explore? How will the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs advance related work? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Thank you for your question, I'll answer that question. The modernization of agriculture and rural areas is related to the overall situation and success of Chinese-style modernization. I also explained earlier that the “15th Five-Year Plan” to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas was publicly released last month, and rural revitalization was in a very important position during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period. You can also see in the interview that there are many proven practices in various regions. Studying and applying the experience of the “10 Million Project” to promote rural revitalization in an orderly manner and regionalization is a major strategic plan made by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The outline of the national “15th Five-Year Plan” and the “15th Five-Year Plan” to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas put forward clear requirements. Each region takes into account local realities, learns and applies the “10 Million Project” experience according to local conditions, and actively explores diversified and unique district promotion models. For example, driven by key villages. Some places use key villages as key nodes to divide districts, and form districts and develop in conjunction with villages that are adjacent to the region, have similar functions, and are connected to industries. Zhejiang Province has established a “county city-central town-key village” development axis. Key villages join forces with surrounding relatively weak villages to promote group development in the area. On the basis of clarifying central villages, Shandong Province is accurately zoned, sequential planning, continuous construction, and continuous development according to local conditions. For example, driven by agricultural parks. Some places are centered around agricultural parks, etc., and use the industrial chain as a link, and radiation drives the development of surrounding villages. Using the construction of modern agricultural parks as the carrier, Sichuan Province coordinated the implementation of the “Thousand Gardens with Ten Thousand Villages” campaign, forming a development pattern linked with gardens and villages. For example, regional industrial linkages. Some places rely on river systems, ecological corridors, transportation routes, or regional characteristic industries to focus on villages within the region to create demonstration films for rural revitalization. Quanzhou in Fujian Province mainly focuses on key river basins and implements the construction of the “One County, One River, One Characteristics” project to promote ecological management of streams, continuous farmland transformation, and village landscape improvement. These practices fully reflect the pioneering spirit and practical wisdom of people at the grassroots level, and provide useful lessons for all regions.
In the next step, we will guide all regions to insist on learning and applying the “10 Million Project” experience as an important gripper to promote comprehensive rural revitalization, set policy directions, and implement a local version of the “10 Million Project” suitable for local characteristics. In terms of construction content, highlight accuracy and effectiveness. In line with the evolution of the urban and rural pattern and the changing trend of rural population, we guide all regions to coordinate and optimize the layout of villages and towns to create high-quality rural living spaces. Promote the implementation of projects to repair shortcomings in modern rural living conditions, coordinate and promote infrastructure construction such as water circuits and gas communication in rural areas; support regions that are in a position to do so to accelerate new infrastructure such as charging piles and charging stations; seize the focus of “one old, one small” and gradually improve the quality of rural education and medical care services; solve problems such as rural toilet changes and garbage surrounding villages with a nail spirit, promote rural domestic sewage treatment according to local conditions, and continue to rectify and improve the rural living environment. In terms of implementation methods, emphasis is placed on adapting to local conditions. In response to the current situation where rural development levels and local customs vary greatly, we guide all regions to start from reality and use counties, townships, and villages as units to explore effective ways to revitalize rural areas with their own characteristics and strengths. We will promptly summarize and promote different types of local experiences and practices, and guide all regions to follow typical studies and follow advanced practices. In terms of implementing subjects, highlight the democratic status of farmers. Adhere to rural construction for farmers, improve implementation mechanisms that are bottom-up and villagers' autonomy, guide farmers to work and carry out construction using local materials, and support farmers to become participants and beneficiaries of rural construction. Thank you.
Bloomberg Reporter:
China's pig production capacity is still high, and pork prices are under pressure. Will production capacity cuts continue to be driven in the second half of the year? What specific measures will be taken? How have recent extreme weather events, including floods in southern China, affected pig production and animal epidemics? What are the main meteorological risks facing agricultural production in the second half of this year? What prevention and response measures will be taken to this end?
Zhang Xingwang:
Thank you for your question. First, I would like to ask Mr. Chen Bangxun to explain the pig situation.
Chen Bangxun, Director of the Development Planning Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs:
Everyone knows that pig production is related to ordinary people's three meals a day, to farmers' income and livelihoods, to maintain the steady and orderly development of the industry, and to cope well with the “pig cycle.” Since this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, has adopted comprehensive measures such as regulating supply, promoting consumption, increasing revenue and storage, etc., to regulate pig production capacity. As various early measures were implemented and effective, starting at the end of June, the relationship between supply and demand in the pig market gradually improved, price fluctuations picked up, and breeding losses were reduced. At the end of the second quarter, the number of breeding sows in the country had been reduced to 37.8 million, a year-on-year decrease of 2.63 million, a decrease of 1.81 million compared to the end of 2025. The pace of pig production has slowed down, and the supply and demand situation continues to improve. However, it is worth noting that the current supply in the pig market is still generally abundant, and the pattern of strong supply and demand has not fundamentally changed. We will continue to take good care of comprehensive regulation of pig production capacity and issue warnings through multi-channel encryption to guide a better match between supply and demand. We also hope that farmers will pay close attention to changes in the supply and demand situation and arrange production rationally. We hope that all parties will work together to stabilize the upward trend in pig prices and try to avoid big ups and downs.
As the reporter mentioned earlier, the South China region recently experienced extreme weather disasters such as floods. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs immediately dispatched an expert team to guide the affected regions to properly carry out post-disaster animal prevention work, such as harmless treatment of pigs that died as a result of the disaster and elimination of breeding environments. Up to now, the harmless treatment of pigs that died as a result of the disaster has basically been completed. No major animal outbreaks have been reported in these areas, and this disaster has had no obvious impact on pig production across the country.
I'll answer that question here.
Zhang Xingwang:
Next, I will introduce the agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation situation. In the first half of this year, the agricultural disaster situation in our country was mild on the face and heavily on some. Looking at the type of disaster, the floods were more severe than the droughts. The two typhoons that made landfall in July caused local flooding, flooding of farmland, deaths of livestock and poultry, and damage to facilities. According to the meteorological department's forecast, there are too many extreme weather events in our country during the main flood season. There are two rainy zones in the north and south. Droughts and floods are equally severe. In some places, droughts and floods may change rapidly, and typhoons will land more often and strongly, or they may move northward. At the same time, strong or super-strong El Niño events are taking place. Some regions may be hotter, more flooded, and more arid. The disaster risk is uncertain, and the agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation situation is not optimistic. The Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation and relief work, and General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued important instructions and instructions many times. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs resolutely implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, issued 24 early warning information issues, promoted the timely allocation of 219 million yuan of agricultural production and disaster relief funds, organized experts to formulate technical opinions on disaster prevention and mitigation, transfer disinfectants and other epidemic prevention and flood control materials, and dispatched multiple working groups to the hardest hit areas to guide disaster relief, harmless treatment of livestock and poultry killed as a result of the disaster, and animal epidemic prevention to support local agricultural production.
We are now in a critical period of “seven to eight” flood control, which is also a critical period for the formation of autumn grain production. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will establish a bottom-line mindset and extreme thinking, based on disaster prevention, drought and flood prevention, and strong typhoon prevention, and keep an eye on disasters such as torrential rain and floods, summer droughts, heat damage, low temperatures and early frost, etc., to deal with the uncertainty of disaster occurrence with active disaster prevention, mitigation and relief. Surveillance is further encrypted, and joint consultations with meteorology, emergency management, water conservancy and other departments are continuously strengthened to scientifically analyze and evaluate rain, water, and seedling conditions, and issue early warning information in a timely manner to achieve early detection and early warning. Further strengthen prevention, establish and improve mutual assistance and cooperation mechanisms between regions, prepare sufficient materials such as seeds and seedlings, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and eliminate epidemic prevention, and mobilize regional agricultural machinery emergency relief centers and emergency rescue service teams to prepare for disaster relief, and ensure that there are materials for disaster preparedness, machinery for disaster relief, and personnel for disaster relief. It is more accurate in terms of guidance, guiding the implementation of key measures such as farmland drainage, crop restoration, replanting, and facility restoration, and carrying out integrated prevention and control in a timely manner to reduce disaster losses as much as possible. At the same time, facing the “15th Five-Year Plan” and beyond, we will speed up the completion of shortcomings in agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, enhance agricultural climate resilience, and consolidate infrastructure in terms of hardware. Continue to build high-standard farmland, carry out farmland ditch restoration and remediation in an integrated manner, reserve emergency relief equipment such as crawler harvesters and mobile dryers, and effectively improve agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation and relief capabilities. In terms of software, improve the working mechanism. Optimize the agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation and relief work system, and speed up the construction of a “sky to ground” integrated agricultural disaster monitoring network. Guide local authorities to refine and improve plans according to local conditions, improve agricultural emergency disaster relief service teams, and normalize organizational mobilization, monitoring and early warning, response linkage, and emergency response. Of course, there is also a very important one. That is, in our work practice over the years, we are fully aware that it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of disasters that have occurred, further strengthen theoretical research on agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, grasp regularity and trends, and improve the accuracy and effectiveness of prevention and response.
Thank you!
China's “Three Farmers” released a reporter:
This year marks the beginning of the “15th Five-Year Plan”. The five-year transition period for consolidating and expanding the achievements of the fight against poverty and effectively linking rural revitalization has come to an end. We have seen that support work has already entered the normalization stage. What measures will be taken next to further continue to deepen the normalization of support for preventing and returning to poverty? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Please ask Mr. Xu Jianmin to answer this question.
Xu Jianmin, Director of the Support Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs:
Thank you for your question. As you said, this year's support work has entered a new stage of normalized support. We are facing a new situation, new tasks, and of course new requirements. In the first half of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and basically established a normalized support policy system in accordance with the principle of “big stability and minor adjustments,” including monitoring assistance, the use of support funds, and industrial employment support. All departments in each region carried out their duties and did their best, normalized and accurate support for all tasks progressed in an orderly manner, and started well. It is mainly reflected in the following aspects: First, the effective operation of monitoring and support mechanisms. All regions adopt various methods such as farmers' independent declarations, departmental big data early warning, and daily investigations at the grassroots level to promptly identify those who prevent returning to poverty, and accurately implement support measures from person to household, so as to better achieve early detection, early intervention, and early assistance. Second, industrial support continues to increase. Each region uses counties as units to determine leading industries to help according to local conditions. The total output value of leading industries nationwide has exceeded 2 trillion yuan, and nearly 3/4 of the people out of poverty have established benefit-linking mechanisms with new agricultural operators. Third, employment support continues to be deepened. Vice Minister Zhang Xingwang has just explained that as of June of this year, the number of workers out of poverty has exceeded 32 million. Among these, more than 13 million people have been employed outside the province by promoting East-West labor cooperation, transportation subsidies for workers across provinces, and cultivating special labor brands; playing the role of rural public welfare jobs, employment support workshops, and cash-for-work, etc., more than 19 million people have been employed in the province. Fourth, the steady development of key regions. In the western region, 160 countries have identified key support counties for rural revitalization, and 390 provincial rural revitalization key support counties have been identified in the central and western regions, and resources have been concentrated to support the implementation of a number of projects to repair shortcomings and promote development to benefit people's livelihood.
In the next step, we will keep our responsibilities unrelaxed, our efforts will not be reduced, we will really work hard, and make every effort to normalize assistance as soon as possible. Improve and strengthen the monitoring system. The scope of monitoring was gradually extended to the entire rural population to achieve full coverage; optimize monitoring methods, make good use of big data methods, give full play to the role of grassroots cadres as outposts, quickly identify people at risk of returning to poverty, and provide targeted assistance. Do a good job of classifying and managing people out of poverty, and continue to provide assistance to those who leave the support policy and risk returning to poverty. Strengthen development-based support initiatives. Promote the implementation of projects to help develop the entire industrial chain to benefit farmers and increase income, and continue to play the role of industrial alliances in agricultural belts. Pay close attention to the two key groups of the elderly workforce and the newly growing workforce to strengthen employment assistance, play the role of paying for work and helping workshops, stabilize public welfare jobs in rural areas, and promote stable employment for support targets. Normalize the implementation of the “wisdom and wisdom” campaign. One is the “ambition” of ambition, and the other is the “wisdom” of wisdom, which effectively stimulates the endogenous motivation of those to help. Strengthen preferential assistance in key regions. Strengthen support policies for counties that focus on rural revitalization, promote East-West collaboration, targeted assistance from central units, village-based support and social assistance, and support underdeveloped regions to enhance their development capacity. Continuously follow up and monitor the production and living conditions of the relocated people to promote solutions to practical difficulties. Thank you.
Guangdong Radio and Television Reporter:
With this summer harvest, wheat yields in many regions reached record highs. This is inseparable from the support of good varieties. What is the progress of the seed industry revitalization campaign currently underway? Next, how will the layout promote the high-quality development of the seed industry? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Please ask Mr. Zhou Yunlong to answer this question.
Zhou Yunlong, Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs:
Thank you to the reporter for the question. As you said, a good harvest of summer grains is inseparable from the support of good varieties. In the fall of last year, continuous rain and rain in the Huanghuaihai region of China led to large-scale late planting of winter wheat, which had a significant impact on summer grain production. The summer grain harvest was hard to come by. There are not only good policies, human efforts, and natural help, but also the support of science and technology, especially the contribution of good seeds. The selection and promotion of a large number of new varieties with high yield and stable yield, resistant to gibberellosis, and spike germination have provided hard core support for wheat to withstand disasters and obtain a good harvest. The selection of these excellent varieties is a microcosm of the results of the seed industry revitalization campaign. In recent years, the development of China's seed industry has made great strides. Self-selected varieties of crops account for more than 95% of the planting area, so “Chinese grains” mainly use “Chinese varieties”. The market share of domestic vegetable sources has reached more than 91%, livestock and poultry have reached more than 80%, aquatic products have reached more than 86%, and agricultural varieties are guaranteed domestically. Behind this is the strong support of “four more”.
The germplasm resource base is stronger. Three world-class germplasm resource banks for crops, livestock, and marine fishery have been built, ranking first in the world in terms of total resource conservation. Plans to improve corn, soybean, and rapeseed germplasm resources have been implemented. Accurate resource identification is faster, and the foundation for breeding innovation is more solid.
Research in the seed industry has been even more fruitful. Breeding and promoting a large number of high-yield, high-quality, disease-resistant and stress-resistant varieties. The proportion of high-quality rice and water-saving disease-resistant wheat reached 55% and 44% respectively. Corn adapted to high-density cultivation and suitable for machine harvesting is leading a new round of variety renewal and yield improvement. The market share of excellent varieties such as self-cultivated white feather broiler and Huaxi beef continues to increase.
The supply guarantee for good seeds is stronger. The national seed industry base has achieved full coverage of varieties such as grain, cotton, oil, sugar, fruit, vegetables, tea, pork, beef, lamb, fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish, etc., with a seed supply guarantee rate of over 80%. Mandatory national standards have been revised and implemented, the seed quality threshold has been raised, and the sampling pass rate has stabilized at over 98%.
The intellectual property protection environment is more optimized. Implement the newly revised regulations on the protection of new plant varieties, and strictly crack down on illegal acts such as license infringement, counterfeiting, etc., to form a strong deterrent.
In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, thoroughly implement seed industry revitalization actions, focus on ensuring the stable and safe supply of important agricultural products such as grain, implement major scientific and technological projects in the national seed industry, improve the commercialized breeding innovation system with enterprises as the main body, and accelerate the selection of high-yielding, high-quality, resistant, and exclusive breakthrough new varieties. At the same time, the construction of seed industry bases will be strengthened, more high-quality seeds will be produced, strict variety certification and intellectual property protection will be strengthened, and market supervision and enforcement will be strengthened, so that farmers can use “safe seeds”. Thank you!
Lightning News Reporter:
After a successful start to summer grain in the first half of the year, what is the current planting schedule and seedling situation for autumn grains? Faced with the impact of the changing climate this summer, what are the early arrangements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to ensure stable production of autumn grains and maintain the annual output mark of 1.4 trillion kg? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Thank you for your question, I'll answer that question. In recent years, our country has experienced extreme climates and frequent recurrences of diseases and pests. Food production has to go through this kind of test every year. In practice, we actually encounter disasters, problems and difficulties every year, but the situation is not the same every year. It can be said that “the situation is not the same.” Everyone knows that summer grains are the first season of annual grain production, and summer grain production accounts for a little more than 1/5 of the annual grain production. Everyone has noticed that summer food accounts for nearly half of our entire country's food rations. The food rations are mainly wheat and rice. Therefore, in order to ensure the absolute safety of 1.4 billion people's food rations, a good summer harvest is very important. Last fall, a rare autumn storm seriously affected the planting of winter wheat in the main production area of Huanghuaihai. The planting period was generally delayed by 15-20 days compared to previous years. The entire wheat production process has successively successfully passed through various hurdles, such as sowing in the autumn flood, promoting the weakening and growth of seedlings, and disease and pest control. After entering the concentrated harvesting period, there were also worrying rounds of rainfall in the main production areas. More than 800,000 harvesters were organized in various regions to fight for 22 days to grab and dry. Of these, the area harvested more than 16 million mu every day for 6 consecutive days, and the concentrated harvesting period was shortened by 4-5 days. This itself also reflects China's speed and strength, making it difficult to return the particles to storage. A good harvest of summer grains means we have the initiative to produce grain throughout the year. To win the tough battle of summer grain harvest, we deeply appreciate that the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, is the result of the hard work of hundreds of millions of peasant masses, the powerful policies to strengthen agriculture, and the vast number of scientific and technological personnel to go deep into frontline service. It is also the result of Party committees and governments at all levels taking the lead and paying close attention to implementation, and all relevant departments have consolidated their responsibilities and made full cooperation. Here, too, we would like to thank our media friends. We have a special media team. Starting with the live broadcast last year, we went deep into the frontline area of Huanghuaihai for more than 4 months, and recorded the complete process from the evening broadcast to the harvest, from initial worry to gradual confidence, to final reassurance and happiness. I think this reflects the professionalism and professional ability of our media people. At this critical stage, I also recommend that everyone take a walk around our agricultural production line. We can get a good harvest code for summer food, and take a look at the fields where we hope for autumn grains.
Everyone knows that autumn grains are the majority of the annual grain production, accounting for roughly 3/4 to 75% of the annual grain production. The current situation of autumn grains is generally quite good. It is mainly reflected in two aspects: one is the planting area. Apart from the southern part of the country where two-season late rice is still being planted, the area under cultivation of autumn grains has basically reached ground. It is also expected to increase steadily and slightly, and the production period is basically abundant. The other is the growth of the seedling situation. Various regions have further promoted large-scale yield increases, and various measures such as water and fertilizer integration and “one spray more promotion” have been integrated and promoted. The overall situation for autumn grain seedlings is now quite normal.
Currently, there are still more than two months until the large-scale harvest of autumn grains, and there are still many hurdles to be passed to seize a good harvest of autumn grains. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, unwavering in the goals and tasks of grain production, insist that the whole process will not be relaxed, carry out the 100-day campaign to overcome the disaster and obtain a good harvest of autumn grains, and make every effort to seize autumn grains and a good harvest throughout the year. The first is to pay close attention to field management in the middle and late stages of autumn grains. Implement insurance contact and guidance services in key provinces, organize experts and agricultural technicians to visit key regions for guidance, and strengthen field management technical services by crop division. The second is to pay close attention to increasing yield. Relying on 1,000 large-scale production promotion counties and 20 cities promoting the entire system, the subdistrict organizes on-site observation of yield improvement, continues to carry out activities such as agricultural technicians entering the village to charter households, etc., and goes deep into the fields to guide the implementation of measures to increase production such as “one spray, more promotion”. The third is to pay close attention to disaster prevention and mitigation. Pay close attention to weather changes, strengthen consultation and collaboration with departments such as meteorology, water conservancy, emergency management, etc., issue timely early warnings, prepare material reserves and technical capabilities, and strive to minimize disaster losses. Keep an eye on major diseases and pests such as rice lice, rice vertical leaf beetle, and southern corn rust, and promote unified control, joint prevention and control, and emergency control to reduce the harm caused by pests and diseases. Thank you!
People's Daily reporter:
Protecting arable land and increasing production capacity, and building high-standard farmland is an important starting point. Excuse me, what is the current progress and results of the overall construction? What else to consider next? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Please ask Mr. Chen Bang-hoon to answer this question.
Chen Bangxun:
OK. Everyone knows that cultivated land is the lifeblood of food production. The construction of high-standard farmland is a key measure for consolidating and improving food production capacity and safeguarding the country's food security. Therefore, the country has been vigorously and continuously promoting the storage of food in the ground over the years. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has earnestly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, resolutely shouldered its political responsibilities, and solidly promoted the construction of high-standard farmland. It has built more than 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland, which has played a basic role in providing a basic guarantee for grain production to reach the 1.4 trillion kg mark. In the face of frequent extreme weather in recent years, high-standard farmland built has basically reduced production with few major disasters, stable production with no disasters, and increased production without disasters, which strongly supports the continuous decline in the proportion of the affected agricultural area in China. Specifically, it fell from 27.7% in the “11th Five-Year Plan” to 16.6% in the “12th Five-Year Plan” and 12.6% in the “13th Five-Year Plan”, and the “14th Five-Year Plan” further drop to about 7%. Last year, the Central Office and the State Office issued the “Implementation Plan for Gradually Building Permanent Basic Farmland into High-Standard Farmland”, which makes systematic arrangements for high-standard farmland construction now and in the coming period; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with the support of various relevant departments, introduced a series of supporting measures such as quality management, implementation of the responsibility system, completion inspection, and post-construction management, and further improved the farmland construction system.
In the first half of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, issued 74.39 million mu of high-standard farmland construction tasks in 5 batches. Next, we will insist on putting ensuring construction quality first. We will organize all regions to carry out construction tasks in a quality and quantity according to “one flat area,” which means leveling the field, “two channels,” or “three upgrades,” which means improving land strength, yield, and efficiency. There are four main things to pay close attention to: the first is to pay close attention to planning and layout. Priority is given to construction in the black soil region of Northeast China, areas with water conservancy and irrigation conditions, and regions with high grain production and high potential to increase production. Strictly implement the requirements of prohibited construction zones and restricted construction zones, such as prohibiting the construction of cultivated land on a slope above 25°, returning farming to forests, and returning grazing areas to lakes and grazing areas. Second, pay close attention to full supervision. Strictly implement the management requirements for all aspects of project site selection, design, construction, supervision, inspection, and maintenance; push provinces that have not yet set up special sub-accounts for high-standard farmland construction funds to achieve special account supervision, special account allocation, and special account settlement to ensure that funds are actually used for arable land; guide the peasant masses to participate more and effectively improve construction quality and efficiency. The third is to pay close attention to centralized rectification. Strengthen the investigation and rectification of problems, strengthen hard methods such as unannounced investigations, quality sampling, complaints and reports, handover of leads, interviews and notifications, etc., resolutely eliminate stock issues, curb the occurrence of new problems, and speed up the establishment and improvement of problem discovery, response, disposal, and feedback mechanisms covering the whole country and directly reaching the grassroots level. Fourth, pay close attention to the implementation of responsibilities. Promote the implementation of a working mechanism coordinated by the central government, overall responsibility by the province, implementation by cities and counties, and public participation, highlight the orientation of rewarding the good and punishing the bad, consolidate the responsibility of project quality management and operation management territories at various levels, ensure that they are built one by one, and that the foundation for safeguarding the country's food security is consolidated. Thank you.
21st Century Economic Report Reporter:
This year's Central Committee Document No. 1 clearly aims to improve the effectiveness of agricultural science and technology innovation. What are the deployment arrangements for the first half of the year? How will agricultural science and technology support continue to be strengthened in the future? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Please ask Mr. Zhou Yunlong to answer this question.
Zhou Yunlong:
Thank you for your interest in agricultural science and technology work. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to scientific and technological innovation. He attended a symposium on strengthening basic research this year, and delivered important speeches at the National Science and Technology Award Conference, the Conference of Academicians of the two academies, and the 11th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, putting forward clear requirements for enhancing the ability to systematize scientific and technological innovation and promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs thoroughly implements the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech and instructions, implements the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, deepens the reform of the agricultural science and technology system, leverages the advantages of the new national system, and carries out organized and systematic scientific research, focusing on three areas.
Consolidate basic research in advancing scientific research tasks. Adhere to “industrial questions, scientific and technological answers”, focus on 11 fields including biological seed industry, planting and breeding, agricultural product processing, etc., consolidate a list of basic agricultural science and technology research tasks, and promote original innovation and key core technology research in an integrated manner in major science and technology projects. 545 key laboratories of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 281 field scientific observation and research stations, and 149 modern agricultural science and technology testing and demonstration bases have been built to guide the national agricultural research forces to answer the same questions. The National Natural Science Award, which was announced in early July, included precise genome editing for improving crop traits and collaborative regulation mechanisms for disease resistance and high yield in rice.
Improve overall efficiency in building scientific and technological strength. Strengthen overall guidance on agricultural science and technology work at all levels, and establish a “one game of chess” work pattern involving central and local collaboration, departmental collaboration, and the national agricultural science and technology system. Guide all types of agricultural research entities at all levels to focus on functional positioning and main business to carry out scientific and technological innovation, and accelerate the improvement of the overall effectiveness of the agricultural science and technology innovation system. At present, major agricultural science and technology projects have gathered more than 1,000 superior research institutes, universities, and science and technology enterprises across the country to “join forces” to initially establish an agricultural science and technology innovation system with clear hierarchies, division of labor, and moderate competition.
Promote the implementation of achievements in the deep integration of science and industry. We “revolve around industrial transformation and integration into the industrial core”, establish a scientific research organization model integrating research and use, and focus on one subject and two systems. One main entity is to strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation. In major national agricultural science and technology projects under the responsibility of our Ministry, enterprises have taken the lead or participated in more than 50%, allowing the market and users to directly test the results of the research. The two systems are to give full play to the role of modern agricultural industry technology systems and grass-roots agricultural technology promotion systems, implement major breakthrough variety research and development promotion bridging actions, science and technology to support large-scale yield increases in grain and oil crops, etc., and select, connect, and use good results to quickly land in the fields.
In the next step, our department will firmly adhere to the strategic orientation of “facing the world's scientific and technological frontiers, facing the country's major needs, and facing people's lives and health”, highlight the supply of scientific and technological innovation and industrial demand, coordinate the allocation of innovative elements such as scientific research tasks, platform bases, and key talents, strengthen scientific and technological supervision and academic style construction, continuously enhance systematic research capabilities, effectively improve the effectiveness of agricultural science and technology innovation investment, and provide strong support to accelerate the achievement of self-reliance and self-improvement in agricultural science and technology at a high level. Thank you!
China Rural Magazine All Media Reporter:
In recent years, rural characteristic industries have continued to grow, becoming an important support for Fuminxing Village in Qiangxian County. Please tell me about the development of the rural industry in the first half of the year. What are the future considerations? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Please ask Mr. Xu Jianmin to answer this question.
Xu Jianmin:
Thank you for your interest in rural industries. Developing rural industries is an important way to increase agricultural efficiency and farmers' income. Since this year, we have guided all regions to write “souvenir” articles based on rural characteristic resources, and have achieved positive results in rural industry development. In the first half of the year, the primary sector added value of 3152.2 billion yuan, up 3.7% year on year; the value added of the agricultural and sideline food processing industry above scale increased 4.8% year on year. In particular, the fruit, vegetable and meat processing industries developed rapidly. According to monitoring, in the first half of the year, the national procurement manager index for leading agricultural industrialization enterprises was 55.1%, and overall it remained in the expansion range. New industries and formats such as rural leisure tourism and rural e-commerce have accelerated development. Total revenue from rural tourism has maintained a relatively rapid growth rate, new consumption scenarios such as festivals and intangible heritage experiences continue to expand, and rural consumption potential has been further unleashed.
In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will step up efforts to promote the high-quality development of rural industries, making industrial revitalization an important support for Fuminxing Village in Qiangxian County. Highlight five areas of work:
First, vigorously develop the modern farming industry. This is the basic market for rural industries. We will strengthen agricultural infrastructure construction, raise the level of standardized farming, consolidate and enhance comprehensive agricultural production capacity, and lay a solid foundation for stable production and supply.
Second, develop rural characteristic industries according to local conditions. Guide all regions to select leading industries based on resource endowments and market demand, cultivate and strengthen local varieties, promote chain extension and reinforcement, write “souvenir” articles, and broaden farmers' income growth channels.
Third, expand and strengthen the agricultural products processing industry. Deeply implement actions to promote the agricultural products processing industry, build a number of modern agricultural product processing parks, promote collaborative development of initial processing, deep processing, and comprehensive utilization of by-products, and complete the “Food Head and Meat Tail”, and “Farmer's End” articles.
Fourth, vigorously cultivate new industries and new business formats. Accelerate the development of agricultural productive services focusing on the supply of agricultural materials, contract farming, drying and storage, and rural lifestyle services focusing on environmental hygiene, nursing and childcare, and raise the level of convenience for farmers' production and life. Standards guide the orderly integrated development of agriculture, cultural tourism, further develop the various functions of agriculture, and explore the diverse values of the countryside.
Fifth, improve the agricultural partnership mechanism. The fundamental purpose of developing rural industries is to increase farmers' employment income. We will continue to broaden the channels for farmers to participate in rural industries, improve the mechanism of industrial alliances to bring agriculture, encourage farmers to develop standardized production and participate in industrialized management, and allow farmers to share more of the value-added benefits of the industrial chain. Thank you.
Zhou Jianshe:
One last question.
Elephant News Reporter:
Recently, the State Council issued the “Fifteenth Five-Year Plan” to Accelerate the Modernization of Agriculture and Rural Areas. All sectors of society are paying widespread attention. How will the “Plan” be implemented next? Thank you.
Zhang Xingwang:
Let me answer that question. The “Fifteenth Five-Year Plan” to Accelerate the Modernization of Agriculture and Rural Areas clarifies the road map and construction plan for the modernization of agriculture and rural areas in China over the next five years. It is encouraging. The next key step is to implement it well. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will target the goal of achieving significant progress by basically modernizing agriculture and making significant progress in rural areas with basic modern living conditions, gather the strength of all parties, gather resources from all parties, improve policies, improve mechanisms, and strive to turn this grand blueprint step by step into a “reality map” that benefits the masses and helps high-quality development.
Improve the planning system. We will adhere to the national “one game of chess” and establish a planning system where the left and right collaborate and run through the top and bottom. At the central level, prepare special plans by industry, refine target tasks and implementation paths, and transform the “Plan” deployment arrangements into specific “construction plans”. At the local level, guide all regions to connect and implement the goals and tasks of the “Plan”, prepare regional development plans in line with actual practice, and innovate and plan policy initiatives, and strongly support the achievement of the country's “three rural areas” goals and tasks as scheduled.
Advance engineering projects. Implementing the target tasks is inseparable from the support of engineering projects. The “Plan” focuses on “building a foundation, building up advantages, repairing shortcomings, strengths and weaknesses”, deploying major projects such as high-standard farmland construction, warehousing and cold chain logistics, and development of characteristic industries. It innovatively proposes the implementation of engineering actions such as large-scale food development projects, “artificial intelligence+agriculture”, and projects to repair shortcomings in modern rural living conditions. Together with relevant departments, we will study and clarify construction details, construction subjects, funding arrangements, etc. one by one, mature one by one, and implement one by one to support the modernization of agriculture and rural areas through practical engineering projects.
Strengthen factor guarantees. The modernization of agriculture and rural areas is lagging behind and requires real money investment. We will promote the improvement of a diversified investment pattern with priority financial guarantees, preferential financial priorities, and active social participation to ensure that investment in rural revitalization continues to increase. Improve the rural financial service system and increase investment in medium- and long-term loans in agriculture and rural areas. Give full play to the risk protection role of agricultural insurance, support the development of agricultural product insurance with local characteristics, and improve the efficiency of claims processing. Develop and expand the rural talent team to add popularity and momentum to rural development.
Strengthen demonstration leadership. Over the years, we have supported the local authorities to establish 356 national agricultural modernization demonstration zones and 283 national rural revitalization model counties, and initially explored a number of development models with various strengths and characteristics, which have become “benchmarks” for advancing agricultural and rural modernization. We will make good use of the leading role of these “two demonstrations” to drive overall improvement with points and facets in a row.
Strengthen monitoring and evaluation. We will strengthen the management of the entire process of annual monitoring and analysis, mid-term evaluation, and summary evaluation of the implementation of the “Plan”, and formulate annual task lists and work desk accounts to ensure that the planning tasks are implemented and effective, that the planning indicators are achieved as scheduled, and that the peasant masses can feel them.
Thank you!
Zhou Jianshe:
That's all for today's press conference. Thank you to all the publishers, thank you to all the reporters and friends, see you all.
This article was edited by China.com, Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Wenfang.