Interpretation of Agricultural Policies in the 13th Five-Year Plan
Regarding the macro direction of agricultural development during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, please refer to the two most authoritative interpretations. Vice Premier Wang Yang published “[Vigorously Promote Agricultural Modernization with New Development Concepts]” in “People’s Daily”, and Minister Han Changfu published “[Leading Modern Agricultural Development with New Development Concepts]” in “Qiushi”.
I. Discussions on Agriculture in the Central “13th Five-Year Plan” Proposal
The “13th Five-Year Plan” proposal emphasizes the five major development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing. Except for open development which does not directly involve issues of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, the other four major development concepts have specifically discussed issues of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. The main contents are as follows:
1. Ensure National Food Security
Accelerate the designation of permanent basic farmland, carry out large-scale construction of high-standard farmland that guarantees harvest in drought and flood, improve the quality of cultivated land, and focus on protecting and improving the production capacity of major grain-producing areas and grain production functional areas.
Vigorously develop modern seed industry, promote agricultural mechanization and agricultural informatization, and achieve “storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology”.
2. Promote Sustained and Rapid Growth of Farmers’ Income
- Vigorously develop high-quality and efficient agriculture. 2) Promote cost-saving and efficiency-increasing technologies. 3) Encourage the orderly transfer of rural labor. 4) Support farmers to start businesses and find employment nearby and locally. 5) Improve policies to strengthen agriculture and benefit farmers.
3. Ensure the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products
On the one hand, grasp standardized agricultural production, improve the standard system, and achieve control at the source of production. On the other hand, grasp the supervision of agricultural product quality and safety, establish a full-process traceability system from the field to the table, and carry out whole-process supervision.
4. Accelerate the Pace of Agricultural Modernization
Adjust and optimize the agricultural structure guided by market demand, vigorously develop agricultural product processing and circulation, actively expand the multiple functions of agriculture, and promote the coordinated development of grain, cash crops and fodder, the combination of planting and breeding, and the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries.
Build a new agricultural operation system, guide the orderly transfer of land management rights, develop various forms of moderate-scale operations, establish and improve the agricultural socialized service system, and vigorously cultivate new agricultural operation entities and new professional farmers.
Deepen the reform of the agricultural science and technology system, promote the successful transformation and application of agricultural science and technology, and improve the level of agricultural technical equipment.
5. Take the Road of Sustainable Agriculture
- Protect agricultural resources and environment, and promote sustainable agricultural development. 2) Vigorously develop water-saving agriculture. 3) Carry out zero growth actions for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. 4) Promote the resource utilization of agricultural waste. 5) Carry out large-scale land greening actions and improve the natural forest protection system. 6) Carry out blue bay remediation actions. 7) Implement ecological protection and restoration projects for mountains, rivers, forests, lakes and fields, and deeply implement action plans for the prevention and control of atmospheric, water and soil pollution.
6. Adhere to Open Development
The “Proposal” emphasized, “Adhere to open development and strive to achieve win-win cooperation”. When interpreting the “13th Five-Year Plan” proposal, Vice Premier Wang Yang said that to promote agricultural modernization, we must attach importance to learning foreign advanced technology and experience, and coordinate the use of both international and domestic markets and two types of resources. Minister Han Changfu said that we must adhere to the organic combination of “bringing in” and “going out” and continuously improve the level of opening up in agriculture.
II. Discussions on Agriculture in Zhejiang’s “13th Five-Year Plan” Proposal
- Promote agricultural structural adjustment, develop ecological circular agriculture, and promote the development of the entire agricultural industry chain. 2) Cultivate modern agricultural operation entities, improve the agricultural socialized service system, and build a “three-in-one” cooperative economic organization system. 3) Train new professional farmers. Strengthen the construction of “two zones”. 4) Strengthen agricultural standardization, informatization construction and agricultural technological innovation, develop modern seed industry, and improve the level of agricultural mechanization.
III. Agricultural Development Trends During the “13th Five-Year Plan” Period
The judgment on future agricultural development trends is mainly based on land scale and changes in agricultural production entities.
1. New Agricultural Entities Play a Role
In future agricultural development, new entities such as cooperatives, agricultural enterprises, family farms, and large planting and breeding households will play a major driving role and become the main force of agricultural operation.
2. Integration of Modern Technology and Agriculture Will Accelerate
The government will appropriately reduce current grain output in the next step, but will maintain the stability and improvement of production capacity, implement the strategy of “storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology”, and promote the integrated development of modern technologies such as biotechnology, agricultural mechanization, and informatization with agriculture.
3. Upgrading and Integration of Agricultural Materials Industry
On the one hand, the requirements of operation entities for the quality of agricultural material products will increase. Upstream agricultural material enterprises must provide all-round agricultural technical services in addition to providing high-quality products. On the other hand, further promote the industrial integration of the agricultural materials industry.
4. Substantive Development of Agricultural Informatization
As part of agricultural modernization, agricultural informatization will also be the focus of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Smart agriculture and rural e-commerce are expected to explode.
5. Agricultural Subsidies May Increase
On the one hand, the state will continue to vigorously support the development of moderate-scale agriculture. On the other hand, it will also increase agricultural insurance subsidies, key production link subsidies, technology application promotion service subsidies, and agricultural scientific research subsidies.
6. Develop Rural Finance
In addition to subsidies, the state will also vigorously develop the role of financial leverage in supporting agriculture, accelerate the exploration and improvement of the financial credit system, and use it to support the capital transfer of cooperatives, agricultural enterprises, and family farms.
7. Ecological Circular Agriculture is the Focus of Development
Comprehensive utilization of agricultural waste resources, zero growth of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, water-saving irrigation and other modern agricultural development methods will be vigorously promoted.
8. Continuously Improve the Level of Opening Up in Agriculture
During the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, the national food security strategy of “focusing on ourselves, based on domestic, ensuring production capacity, moderate imports, and scientific and technological support” will remain unchanged. More foreign funds, key technologies, germplasm resources, high-level talents, management experience, etc. will be “brought in”, and the transfer of advantageous agricultural production capacity and technology will be promoted, driving agricultural equipment, means of production, etc. to “go out”.
Published at: Jun 9, 2016 · Modified at: Jan 14, 2026
