Speakers:
Mr. Deng Xiaogang, vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs
Mr. Chen Bangxun, director general of the Department of Development and Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA)
Mr. Pan Wenbo, director general of the Department of Crop Production of the MARA
Mr. Lei Liugong, director general of the Department of Market and Informatization of the MARA
Chairperson:
Mr. Xie Yingjun, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
Jan. 23, 2024
Xie Yingjun:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we have invited Mr. Deng Xiaogang, vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs, to brief you on the performance of agriculture and rural economy in 2023, and answer your questions. Also present at today's press conference are Mr. Chen Bangxun, director general of the Department of Development and Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA); Mr. Pan Wenbo, director general of the Department of Crop Production of the MARA; and Mr. Lei Liugong, director general of the Department of Market and Informatization of the MARA.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Deng for his introduction.
Deng Xiaogang:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. I would like to thank all friends from the media for their interest in and support for the work on agriculture, rural areas and rural people. Next, I will brief you on the performance of agriculture and rural economy in 2023.
In 2023, facing the complex and serious domestic and international economic situation as well as frequent and recurring natural disasters, departments of agriculture and rural affairs have thoroughly implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important remarks on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers as well as the guiding principles of his important instructions in this regard, and implemented the decisions and deployments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council. We have made all-out efforts to overcome difficulties and solve problems to maintain the momentum of steady performance in agriculture and rural development. The fundamentals of agriculture, rural areas and rural people have been further enhanced, providing strong support for economic recovery and solid progress in high-quality development.
First, China secured another bumper grain harvest, with supplies of important agricultural products well guaranteed. We overcame the negative impacts of natural disasters, including rare protracted rainfall during the harvest period in the Huang-Huai region, severe floods in some regions of North and Northeast China, and droughts in some areas of Northwest China. The country's total grain output reached 695.41 million metric tons in 2023, an increase of 8.88 million metric tons over the previous year, hitting another record high. This is the ninth consecutive year that China has registered a grain harvest higher than 650 million metric tons. Significant progress was also made in expanding the planting of soybean and other oil crops. The total soybean planting area reached 157 million mu (10.47 million hectares) in 2023, staying higher than 150 million mu for the second consecutive year. The soybean output hit a record high of 20.84 million metric tons in 2023. The total planting area of oil crops crossed the threshold of 200 million mu. Hog production remained stable. Pork output reached 57.94 million metric tons, up 4.6% year on year. Meanwhile, outputs of beef, mutton and poultry, milk, as well as aquatic products all increased and the supply of fruit and vegetables was sufficient.
Second, achievements in poverty alleviation have been consolidated and expanded, ensuring that people do not sink back into poverty in large numbers. All localities improved monitoring and assistance mechanisms to prevent people lifted out of poverty from slipping back into it again, striving to spot trends early and intervene through support measures. The risk of slipping back into poverty was eliminated among over 60% of them, and support measures were implemented for all the others. We also put greater emphasis on providing assistance to develop local industries and boost employment. Among the central government funding for promoting rural revitalization, 60% was allocated for industrial development. Counties lifted out of poverty have developed a group of industries that leverage local strengths. A total of 33.969 million people who had been lifted out of poverty found employment, which is 3.777 million more than the annual target.
Third, science, technology and equipment have provided greater support, with solid progress made in the development of modern agriculture. We built and upgraded 86.11 million mu of high-standard farmland, and the high-efficiency water-saving irrigation area reached 24.62 million mu. Initial success was achieved in invigorating the seed industry. We completed the largest national census of agricultural germplasm resources, collecting more than 530,000 crop germplasm samples. Pilot projects were successfully completed for the commercial production of genetically modified corn and soybean varieties. We also made breakthroughs in shoring up weak links in agricultural machinery equipment, with 320-horsepower tractors with a continuously variable transmission, corn planters for mountainous areas, and other needed machinery entering mass production. Large high-horsepower farm machinery and small agricultural machinery for hilly areas have been made accessible.
Fourth, green agricultural development accelerated while the agricultural ecological environment continued to improve. We used fewer but more effective chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The comprehensive utilization rates of livestock and poultry manure and straw, and the agricultural film disposal rate exceeded78%, 88%, and 80%, respectively. The 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River led to significant achievements. The livelihoods of more than 230,000 affected fishermen were ensured, management of the waters under the fishing ban was generally stable, and the river's aquatic organism resources and diversity showed encouraging signs of recovery. Additionally, progress was made in agricultural production and the development of pollution-free, green, organic, and geographically indicated (GI) agricultural products. The number of newly certified and registered green and organic agricultural products, as well as those that are famous, special, novel, and high quality, reached 15,000. The percentage of agricultural products passing national quality and safety tests reached 97.8%.
Fifth, rural industries experienced strong growth, providing rural residents with increased job opportunities and income. The agricultural product processing sector advanced smoothly, hosting more than 90,000 companies above the designated size. Rural e-commerce also saw robust development, with its annual online retail sales reaching 2.49 trillion yuan. We enhanced the construction of modern agricultural parks, building 50 new national modern agriculture industrial parks, 40 special industrial clusters with competitive edges, 200 towns with agricultural strengths, and 100 agricultural modernization demonstration zones. Commercial agricultural services were provided for more than 1.97 billion mu of land and over 91 million small agricultural households. Driven by industrial development and employment, the growth of farmers' incomes was sustained. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, rural residents' per capita disposable income reached 21,691 yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 7.6% in real terms.
Sixth, we summarized and popularized the experience of the Green Rural Revival Program, which was initiated in 2003. This program aimed to renovate about 10,000 incorporated villages in five years, transforming about 1,000 central villages into models of all-round moderate prosperity. This contributed significantly to creating a beautiful and harmonious countryside, desirable for living and working. Rural development initiatives were thoroughly implemented, focusing on inclusive and fundamental public services that ensure basic living standards, thus addressing rural public infrastructure challenges more rapidly. Living conditions in rural areas continued to improve, with more than 73% of rural households having access to sanitary toilets, over 40% receiving domestic sewage treatment, and domestic waste from more than 90% of villages being collected, transported, and treated. Rural governance capacity also improved steadily. A total of 100 national rural governance demonstration towns and 1,001 demonstration villages were newly recognized. Governance approaches, such as list-based and point-based systems, continued to expand. In-depth rural reforms were sustained, with steady progress on pilot projects extending second-round rural land contracts for another 30 years upon expiration, as well as trials for reforming rural residential land.
The agricultural and rural economic achievements in 2023 did not come easily. In 2024, agricultural and rural departments will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We will thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourse on agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents. Following the deployments and requirements set at the Central Economic Work Conference and the Central Rural Work Conference, we will focus on building up China's strength in agriculture. Moreover, guided by the lessons and experiences from the Green Rural Revival Program, we will spare no effort to enhance agricultural production with an emphasis on food security. We will also advance rural revitalization in a coordinated manner, focusing on the construction and governance of rural development. This approach will promote sustained improvements in the work related to agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents. Thank you. My colleagues and I will now take your questions.
Xie Yingjun:
Thank you, Mr. Deng. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the media outlet you represent before asking your questions.
