Significant Achievements in Agricultural Development, with Beautiful and Livable Countryside

Significant Achievements in Agricultural Development, with Beautiful and Livable Countryside

—Series Report II on the Economic and Social Development Achievements since the 18th CPC National Congress

Source: National Bureau of Statistics 

Published on: September 14, 2022 Characters: 6435

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has always made issues relating to agriculture, rural areas and farmers a top priority. Specifically, we have put agricultural and rural development first and continued our efforts to ensure grain production. Also, we have aggressively pushed forward the supply-side structural reform of agriculture and further implemented the rural revitalization strategy. As a result, the agricultural economy has been growing steadily, and there has been an adequate supply of key agricultural products. Outstanding achievements have been made on agricultural infrastructure, and rural landscapes and living environments have been significantly improved. Agriculture has played a "ballast" role in promoting healthy economic and social development.

I. Stable and Favorable Agricultural Economy, with Stronger Foundational Position

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have continued to introduce a series of policies to support and benefit agriculture. All departments in all regions have conscientiously implemented the decisions and strategic plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council regarding agriculture, rural areas and farmers. Agricultural economic activities have increased, with a higher gross output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery. The industrial structure has been further optimized, so the basic role of agriculture has been played even further.

(I) Continued growth in gross output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery to make steady progress in agricultural economy

In 2021, the gross output value of China's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery industry was RMB 14,701.3 billion [1], an increase of RMB 6,067.1 billion from 2012, with an AAGR from 2013 to 2021 was 4.2% [2]. Specifically, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery have all seen steady growth, with agriculture being the one with the largest increase in output, and professional and auxiliary activities in them being the one with the fastest growth. In 2021, the value output of China's agriculture was RMB 7,834 billion, an increase of RMB 3,349.4 billion from 2012, with an AAGR of 4.5% from 2013 to 2021. The value output of forestry was RMB 650.8 billion, an increase of RMB 310.1 billion, with an AAGR of 6.1%. The value output of animal husbandry was RMB 3,991.1 billion, an increase of RMB 1,342 billion, with an AAGR of 2.7%. The value output of fishery was RMB 1,450.7 billion, an increase of RMB 610.3 billion, with an AAGR of 3.4%. The value output of professional and auxiliary activities in them was RMB 774.8 billion, an increase of RMB 455.4 billion, with an AAGR of 7.8%.

(II) Sustainable and optimized industrial structure of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery to make development more balanced and coordinated

While the total value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery has been growing, the agricultural production approach has been changing and the structure of them has been adjusting and improving. Forestry- and fishery-related economic activities have been increasing, with a significant boost in professional and ancillary activities in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery. In 2021, agricultural output accounted for 53.3% of the total value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery [3], an increase of 1.4 percentage points over 2012. Forestry output accounted for 4.4%, up 0.5 percentage points. Animal husbandry output accounted for 27.1%, down 3.6 percentage points. Fishery output accounted for 9.9%, up 0.2 percentage points. Professional and ancillary activities output in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery accounted for 5.3%, up 1.6 percentage points.

(III) Agriculture and related industries in stable development to give full play to their fundamental role

Agriculture is a basic sector of the national economy, providing not only rich and diverse agricultural products necessary for people's daily life, but also numerous raw materials for the development of secondary and tertiary industries. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China's agricultural production has grown steadily, especially the accelerated integration of primary and secondary industries with agricultural products processing as its signature, and the in-depth integration of primary and tertiary industries with agritainment and rural complexes as its signature. Agriculture and related industries [4] have been growing in size as the added value of agriculture and related industries has remained more than two times of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, driving the continuous expansion of the agricultural economy. With a growing share of the agricultural component of GDP, the fundamental role of agriculture has been more fully exploited. In 2021, the operating income of China's agriculture and food processing industry above designated size hit RMB 5,410.8 billion, an increase of RMB 196.2 billion over 2012 [5], with an AAGR of 0.4% from 2013 to 2021. In 2020, the added value of China's agriculture and related industries hit RMB 16,690 billion, an increase of RMB 2,098 billion from 2018, with an AAGR of 6.9%. They accounted for 16.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP), 0.6 percentage points higher than that in 2018.

II. More Secure Food Security, with China's Food Supply Firmly in Its Own Hands

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has attached great importance to food security and increased its support for grain production. In line with this, a number of policies and measures have been in effect such as the minimum purchase price for rice and wheat, producer subsidies for corn and soybeans in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and three northeastern provinces, as well as the soybean revitalization program and the mechanism that Party committees and governments assume responsibility for ensuring food security. As a result, China's grain production has been stable and high-yielding, achieving a high level of grain production as per capita grain production has remained stable at over 450 kg. Adequate stocks have already made China's food supply plentiful and sufficient.

(I) Strong policy measures to ensure more grain production

In 2012, China's grain production exceeded 600 million metric tons for the first time. With strong policy support, China's grain production has continued to grow on the basis of this previous high performance. Since 2015, China's grain production has exceeded 650 million metric tons for seven years in a row. In 2021, China's grain production was at an all-time high of 682,850,000 metric tons, an increase of 70,600,000 metric tons from 2012, with an AAGR of 1.2% from 2013 to 2021. It included: Cereal output of 632,750,000 metric tons, an increase of 66,150,000 metric tons, with an AAGR of 1.2%; Pulses output of 19,650,000 metric tons, an increase of 2,850,000 metric tons, with an AAGR of 1.8%; Potato output of 30,450,000 metric tons, an increase of 1,600,000 metric tons, with an AAGR of 0.6%. By varieties, the major food varieties saw different growth in production, including: 212,850,000 metric tons of rice, an increase of 6,300,000 metric tons from 2012, with an AAGR of 0.3% from 2013 to 2021; 136,950,000 metric tons of wheat, an increase of 14,450,000 metric tons, with an AAGR of 1.2%; 272,550,000 metric tons of corn, an increase of 43,000,000 metric tons, with an AAGR of 1.9%; 16,400,000 metric tons of soybeans, an increase of 2,950,000 metric tons, with an AAGR of 2.2%.

(II) A steady increase in per capita food intake to make more food available to Chinese people

Food possession per capita [6] is an important indicator to measure the food supply status of a country or region, and it is usually considered internationally that a food possession per capita of 400 kg or more means that the food supply of the country or region is satisfied. As China's grain production has continued to reach new highs, per capita grain production has increased. Per capita grain production has remained stable at over 450 kg since 2012. China's per capita grain production amounted to 483.5 kg in 2021, an increase of 31.4 kg over 2012, with an AAGR of 0.7% from 2013 to 2021. Even excluding the imports and abundant stocks, China's per capita grain production has long been far above the internationally accepted standard for food security. China can boast not only a solid supply of food, but even a self-sufficient source of food.

(III) Adequate grain stocks to secure basic food security in China

Adequate grain stocks are key to ensuring stable prices of important materials such as food, and is a strong guarantee of China's food security. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations considers a 17% stock consumption as a warning line for food security. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China's grain stocks have risen along with grain production, and stocks of staple crops such as rice and wheat have been particularly abundant. According to estimates, China's current grain stock-to-consumption ratio exceeds 50%. Rice and wheat stocks exceed one-year consumption, and the stock-to-consumption ratio far exceeds the food security warning line of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The sufficient grain stocks effectively guaranteed national food security, and lay a solid foundation for effectively responding to risks and challenges at home and abroad and ensuring stable and virtuous economic and social development.

III. The More Adequate Supply of Major Agricultural Products, with More Diversified Food Choices for Residents

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, with the continuous improvement of residents' living standards, people not only need to eat full, but also eat with diversity. In order to meet the diversified food consumption of urban and rural residents, while ensuring food production, the state also attaches importance to the development of other agricultural products. The output of major economic crops such as vegetables and fruits has grown steadily. There is sufficient market supply of meat, poultry, eggs, milk and fishery products. Residents' food choices become more diversified, and their life quality is significantly improved.

(I) The steady increase of the output of major economic crops to achieve abundant market supply

Vegetables and fruits are the main sources of vitamins for urban and rural residents, and they are an indispensable part of people's daily life. Since 2012, the consumption of vegetables and fruits by urban and rural residents has continued to increase. Driven by the increase in consumption, the national output of vegetables and fruits has continued to increase. In 2021, the national output of vegetables and edible fungi reached 775.49 million tons, an increase of 159.24 million tons compared with 2012, with an AAGR of 2.6% from 2013 to 2021; the fruit production reached 299.7 million tons[7], an increase of 78.79 million tons with an AAGR of 3.4%; the oil production reached 36.13 million tons, an increase of 3.28 million tons with an AAGR of 1.1%. The steady increase in the output of major economic crops has enriched residents' "vegetable baskets", "fruit plates" and "oil bottles", meeting the increasing demand of the material life of urban and rural residents.

(II) The increasing production capacity of animal husbandry, with a steady growth in the output of meat, eggs and milk

Animal food is an important source of protein and fat for urban and rural residents, and its consumption generally increases gradually with the increase of residents' income. Driven by strong consumer demand, the output of meat, poultry, eggs, and milk in China has continued to increase since 2012, with continuously optimized structure effectively meeting the diverse consumption needs of residents. In 2021, China's total meat output reached 89.9 million tons, an increase of 5.19 million tons compared with 2012, with an AAGR of 0.7% from 2013 to 2021. The production structure of animal husbandry continued to change with the proportion of pork decrease and continuous increase of other meat production such as cattle, sheep and poultry. In 2021, the proportion of pork production in total meat production dropped to 58.9%, a decrease of 5.4 percentage points from 2012; the proportion of other meat production such as cattle, sheep and poultry increased to 41.1%. China's production of poultry eggs has ranked first in the world for many years in a row. In 2021, the production of poultry eggs reached 34.09 million tons, an increase of 5.23 million tons over 2012, with an AAGR of 1.9%. China's milk production continues to increase. In 2021, the milk production reached 37.78 million tons, an increase of 4.71 million tons over 2012 and an AAGR of 1.5%.

(III) A promising prospective for fishery production with continuously optimized structure

Aquatic products are an important source of animal protein, an important embodiment of the life quality of urban and rural residents, and therefore they play an indispensable role in ensuring national food safety and maintaining the nutrition and health of the nation. Since 2012, China has experienced an overall steady development of fishery production, and the output of aquatic products has continued to increase. In 2021, the output of aquatic products reached 66.9 million tons, an increase of 11.88 million tons over 2012, with an AAGR of 2.2% from 2013 to 2021. While the total amount of aquatic products keeps increasing, the state coordinates the rational use of fishery resources and the protection of the fishery ecological environment. The state has put forward the development policy of ecology priority, combination of farming and fishing with the former as mainstay, and promoted the transformation and upgrading of fishery industry. The catch of aquatic products has gradually decreased, and the scale of farming has continued to expand. In 2021, the output of aquaculture aquatic products reached 53.94 million tons, an increase of 14.11 million tons over 2012, with an AAGR of 3.4%; the proportion of aquaculture production in the total output of aquatic products increased to 80.6%, an increase of 8.2 percentage points over 2012. The output of caught aquatic products was 12.96 million tons, a decrease of 2.23 million tons, with an average annual decrease of 1.7%; its proportion in aquatic product output dropped further to 19.4%, down 8.2 percentage points from 2012.

IV. The Continuous Improvement of Basic Conditions of Agriculture, with a More Solid Foundation Laid for Stable and High Yield

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the state has implemented the strategy of sustainable farmland use and innovative application of agricultural technology, increased the construction of infrastructure such as farmland water conservancy, and continued to increase the coverage of irrigated farmland; it has intensified efforts to transform low- and medium-yield fields, and kept expanding high-standard farmland area;  it has kept accelerating agricultural mechanization, and greatly improved the efficiency of agricultural production. The basic conditions of agricultural production have been continuously improved, the agricultural foundation has become more consolidated, and the capacity of stable and high-yield agriculture has been further enhanced.

(I) The continuous expansion of the irrigated area of farmland to strengthen confidence of stable agricultural production

Water conservancy is the lifeblood of agriculture and the basis for stable agricultural development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the state has continued to strengthen agricultural infrastructure construction focusing on water conservancy for farmland, and increased investment in the construction of water conservancy projects. In 2021, the national expenditure on water conservancy for agriculture and forestry reached RMB 2.2146 trillion, an increase of RMB 1.0172 trillion over 2012, with an AAGR of 7.1% from 2013 to 2021. With the strong support of the state finances, the irrigation conditions of farmland have been significantly improved. By the end of 2021, the irrigated area of farmland in China reached 1.044 billion mu (1mu≈666.67m2), an increase of 107.02 million mu over 2012, with an AAGR of 1.2%. The continuously increased irrigated area of farmland lays a solid foundation for stable agricultural production.

(II) The steady construction of high-standard farmland, with further guarantee for high agricultural production

Farmland is the lifeblood of agricultural production, and especially high-standard farmland that ensures harvest from droughts and floods plays an important role in achieving stable and high yields.  Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the state has attached great importance to the construction of high-standard farmland, increased investment, and through land consolidation and construction, it concentrated contiguous land, improved facilities, stabilized production, improved ecology, strengthened disaster resistance, benchmarked modern agricultural production and management methods, and the area of high-standard farmland construction has steadily increased. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, more than 100 million mu of high-standard farmland was newly built nationwide in 2021, and a total of more than 900 million mu of high-standard farmland has been constructed. The construction of high-standard farmland has played an important role in mobilizing farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain and securing national food supply.

(III) Agricultural machinery and equipment widely used with great efficiency improvement of agricultural production

Agricultural machinery is like the wings of agricultural production and is crucial to improving the efficiency of agricultural production. Since 2012, large, medium and small agricultural machinery such as cultivators, combine harvesters, automatic feeding machines, and oxygen concentrators have been widely used, and the total power of agricultural machinery has increased year by year. According to statistics, the total power of agricultural machinery nationwide reached 1.08 billion kilowatts in 2021, an increase of 50 million kilowatts compared with 2012, and an AAGR of 0.6% from 2013 to 2021. The wide application of agricultural machinery has promoted a rapid increase in the mechanization rate of agricultural production in China. According to the statistics from relevant departments, the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting in China exceed 71% in 2021[8], and the comprehensive mechanization rates of wheat, corn and rice production reached 97%, 90% and 84% respectively; the mechanization rate of livestock breeding and aquaculture has reached 36% and 32% respectively, and the agricultural production has entered a new development stage dominated by mechanization in China.

V. The Further Transformation of the Mode of Agricultural Management to Display Stronger Vitality of Modern Agriculture

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the state has actively cultivated new types of agricultural production and management entities, vigorously supported agricultural social services, and new agricultural industries and new formats have emerged one after another; digital technologies such as big data and the Internet of Things have been widely used in agricultural production, science and technology have continued to play a supporting and leading role in agriculture, and ancient agriculture is full of vitality backed up by modern technology.

(I) The emergence of a large number of new agricultural production and management entities to boost the continuous extension of agricultural social services

With the in-depth development of China's market economy, there has been more specific division of services for agricultural production, and the number of new types of agricultural production and management entities such as specialized farmers' cooperatives and family farms has increased rapidly. By the end of 2021, there were more than one million specialized farmers' cooperatives and nearly 890,000 family farms nationwide. Accompanied by the increasing number of new-type agricultural management entities, the scope of its social services is also expanding. With subcontract farming trusteeship, spraying pesticides, seedling, breeding, machine harvesting and sowing, etc., the social services for agricultural production are constantly enriched, which effectively stabilizes agricultural production. New agricultural management entities have played an important role in applying new technologies, promoting new varieties, and opening up new markets, and are becoming a new force leading the development of modern agriculture.

(II) New booming industries and formats, with new momentum added to modern agriculture

With the continuous improvement of agricultural industrialization, the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries has continued to deepen, and new agricultural production models such as facility agriculture, soilless cultivation, sightseeing agriculture, and targeted agriculture have developed rapidly. By the end of 2021, the number of agricultural facilities such as large, small and medium-sized greenhouses across the country reached more than 28 million, and facility agriculture covered a total area of more than 38 million mu. New agricultural production models such as facility agriculture and soilless cultivation have broken through the limitations of natural resources, changed the seasonality of agricultural production, broadened the temporal and spatial distribution of agricultural production, and provided urban and rural residents with abundant fresh fruits and vegetables. At the same time, new agricultural formats such as contract agriculture, rural e-commerce, livestreaming, and cold chain logistics emerged one after another. In 2021, more than one million farmers sold agricultural products online, and more than 500,000 farmers provided leisure agriculture and rural tourism, contributing great momentum for improving agricultural quality and efficiency, increasing farmers' income, and promoting rural development and innovation.

(III) Modern information technology widely used with continuously increasing contribution rate of scientific and technological progress to agricultural production

With the rapid development of science and technology, agricultural production has entered an era of informatization and modernization confluence, and cutting-edge technologies such as bioengineering and gene editing are widely used in crop breeding; new generation of technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are deeply integrated with industries such as planting, animal husbandry, and fishery. Digital agriculture and smart agriculture are becoming important driving forces for the transformation and upgrading of agricultural production to modernization. Science and technology are increasingly playing a role in promoting agricultural production.  According to statistics from relevant departments, in 2021, the contribution rate of agricultural science and technology progress in China exceeded 60%[9], which is 7.0 percentage points higher than that in 2012. The overall development of China's agricultural science and technology has entered the first matrix from the second in the world. China has basically achieved full coverage of improved crop varieties, and science and technology is playing a leading role in promote agricultural production.

VI. Continuous Implementation of Rural Construction, with Significant Improvement of Rural Conditions and Living Environments

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the state has further increased investment in rural infrastructure, focusing on the improvement of water, electricity, road, telecommunications, etc., which facilitates the production and life of the residents. The conditions of rural infrastructure have improved significantly; the state has vigorously promoted the improvement of the rural environment, the stress has shifted from cleanness and tidiness to beautiful landscape and high livability, and the rural condition and living environment continued to improve.

(I) Further improvement of rural infrastructure for more convenient production and life

Steady progress has been made in public infrastructure in rural areas. Production and life in rural areas have become more convenient and efficient with basically full coverage of electricity, roads, and telephones, and the quality of roads in rural areas has been continuously upgraded. By the end of 2021, 87.3% of the villages realized access to public transportation; 99.1% of the villages had cement or asphalt access roads; 97.4% of villages had cement or asphalt main roads within the village. Rural informatization keeps developing. By the end of 2021, 99.0% of villages had access to broadband Internet, and 94.2% of villages had cable TV. The continuous improvement of rural infrastructure has vigorously promoted the development of agricultural production. By the end of 2021, more than 330,000 villages had set up their e-commerce delivery sites, and nearly 50,000 villages provided leisure agriculture and rural tourism reception. There is significant improvement of rural production and living conditions.

(II) The continuous improvement of the living environment in rural areas, with more beautiful and livable countryside

The state attaches great importance to rural work and actively promotes the construction of beautiful and livable villages. The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China officially proposed the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, and the living environment in rural areas has improved significantly.  By the end of 2021, 96.3% of village domestic waste was treated in a centralized or partially centralized manner. The rural toilet revolution is steadily promoted with quality increasingly improved, and the penetration rate of sanitary household toilets in rural areas reached 77.5%. The state coordinates and promotes tasks such as rural domestic waste and sewage treatment, and the capability of rural domestic sewage treatment continues to improve. By the end of 2021, 47.6% of village domestic sewage was treated in a centralized or partially centralized manner.

(III) Continuous improvement of basic public services in rural areas, with more secured people's livelihood protection

The state has strengthened the construction of the rural medical and health service system, and the rural medical and health conditions have been greatly improved. By the end of 2021, there were 35,000 township health centers, and townships with health centers account for 90.8% of the total number of townships in the country; the number of village clinics was 599,000, and each village had at least one clinic on average. In 2020, there were 52 rural healthcare workers per 10,000 people, 18 more than in 2012; there were 21 rural practicing (assistant) physicians per 10,000 people, 7 more than in 2012. The state continues to strive for poverty alleviation and support for agriculture, and has made historic achievements in poverty alleviation. Absolute poverty has been eliminated in the country, and low-income people such orphans, widows, the disabled, the sick, etc., who have lost work ability are protected and supported to the largest extent. In 2021, there were 34.74 million rural residents receiving minimum living allowances, a decrease of 18.71 million compared with 2012; in 2020, 3.72 million five-guarantee rural residents (eating, clothing, lodging, medical care and bury) were supported in a scattered manner, and 740,000 were supported in a centralized manner. With support for the sick and the elderly, the residents in rural areas live a more secured life.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, there has been historic achievements made in agricultural production, and historic changes have taken place in the rural areas. However, we also need to see that the agricultural foundation needs to be further consolidated in China, the independent innovation capabilities of key agricultural technologies such as seeds development still need to be improved, and there is still room for improvement in carrying capacity of agricultural production resources and the environment; there are still weak links in rural infrastructure, public services, and human settlements. To this end, we must persist in comprehensively deepening reform and expanding opening up to the world, adhere to the policy of giving priority to the development of agriculture and rural areas, continue to increase investment and policy support for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", and strive to fully promote the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and realize the goal of rural revitalization.

Note:

[1] The total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery includes five parts: agriculture (planting), forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, and specialized and auxiliary activities for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, calculated at current prices with the same method below.

[2] The growth rate of total output value is calculated at comparable prices. Where the growth rate of other indicators is not specified, it is calculated at current prices.

[3] The proportion of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery in the total output value is calculated using current price output value, the same below.

[4] Agriculture and related industries refer to agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery and secondary and tertiary industries, the products of which are used by agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, which directly use products of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, and which are derived from agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery resources, including all economic activities of production, processing, manufacturing, distribution, service and other links of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery.

[5] "Main business income" was adopted in the 2012 figure, and "operating income" was adopted to replace "main business income" from 2018.

[6] Per capita grain possession refers to the average amount of grain that can be possessed by each individual in a certain period of time, including production, net imports, and stocks.

[7] Including the output of garden fruits and melons.

[8] Agricultural mechanization indicators such as the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting come from the 14th Five-Year Plan National Agricultural Mechanization Development Plan.

[9] The data comes from the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.