by Han Lu

 

BEIJING, Mar. 7 (China Economic Net) - For both China and the rest of the world, this year's Two Sessions—a pivotal political event shaping the policy direction of the world's second-largest economy—hold exceptional significance. 2024 marks the final year of China's 14th Five-Year Plan and a crucial period for deepening comprehensive reforms.

 

One of the standout moments from the Government Work Report, released on March 5, was the introduction of a new grain production target: 1.4 trillion jin (approximately 700 million tons). This marks a significant increase from the previous goal of over 1.3 trillion jin, which had been consistently set in recent years. As a nation with just 9% of the world's arable land and 6% of its freshwater resources, China's achievement of surpassing 700 million tons in grain production for the first time in history is nothing short of a miracle.

 

 

According to Du Zhixiong, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, this milestone was made possible by advancements in 'New Quality Productive Forces' in agricultural science and technology—particularly in resource cultivation, agricultural innovation, and the integration of smart farming technologies.

 

"Reaching this new height was no easy feat—it is the result of new quality productive forces in agriculture," Du remarked.

 

Du further explained that the advancement of new quality productive forces in agriculture is reflected in groundbreaking innovations in both agricultural science and technology, making the leap from zero to one.

 

On the scientific front, China's agricultural technology revolution has expanded germplasm resources and developed new crop varieties, significantly increasing the proportion of high-quality strains and boosting per-acre yields. In terms of technological applications, China has invested heavily in high-standard farmland development, focusing on improving landforms, enhancing soil structure and fertility, stabilizing agricultural ecosystems, and increasing land-use efficiency. These efforts have made the widespread adoption of high-yield crop varieties more feasible.

 

Meanwhile, the deep integration of technology with agricultural machinery—including the use of digitalization and artificial intelligence—has played a transformative role. Technologies such as automated seeding, drone-based crop protection, and digital monitoring have dramatically reduced production costs while ensuring more efficient land use and better protection of arable land.

 

 

As China continues to focus on maintaining stable production and protecting farmers' incomes, Du believes that ensuring high-level agricultural productivity—especially in grain production—will be a major priority moving forward.

 

"China faces increasing resource constraints and a shrinking agricultural workforce. This year's 'No. 1 Central Document' for the first time introduced the concept of 'new quality productive forces in agriculture,' tailored to regional conditions," Du explained. He believes China has entered a new era in which grain output, farmers' incomes, and sustainable agriculture must be pursued in tandem. In this context, agricultural standardization will play a key role in ensuring long-term sustainability.

 

 

For years, China has placed great emphasis on agricultural trade and technological collaboration, particularly in fostering win-win partnerships with developing nations. Speaking on China's global agricultural engagement, Du highlighted that through agricultural technology cooperation, China has helped countries in the Global South—often challenged by low resource utilization and inefficient production—boost their grain and agricultural output.