China Sets Goals for Green Agriculture

China on Saturday re- leased guidelines on green development in agriculture， setting goals for resource conservation and environmental protection. The guidelines were published by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council.

The country should maintain the area of arable land and prevent the land quality from worsening， according to the guidelines. By 2020， farmland qual- ity should be improved by 0.5 grade on average， while the total arable land area should be no less than 124 million hectares. China grades its farmland quality on a scale of one to ten.

The government aims to prevent excessive exploitation of groundwater and improve the efficiency of irrigation. The document set the target of zero growth in the amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in major crops by 2020. Forest coverage is to exceed 23 percent. The comprehensive production capacity of grains should be stabilized at or above 550 million tons by 2020， with the quality of farm produce markedly improved.

Straw， animal waste and agricultural plastic film should be fully utilized， according to the guidelines. The agricultural sector remains resource-intensive， with pollution and ecological degradation yet to be contained， while the supply of high-quality and green farm produce cannot satisfy growing demand， the document said. Agriculture should be more sustainable， farmers better off， and the countryside more beautiful and liveable.

Chinas first central document of 2017 promises to maintain the drive to resolve rural issues on the road to a moderately prosperous society by 2020. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council released a document on supplyside structural reform in the agriculture sector on Sunday. The first policy statement of year is widely referred to as the“No 1 Central Document.” For the past 14 years， it has been devoted to agriculture， farmers and rural areas.

Rural areas should make greater strides toward a moderately well-off society by raising agricultural efficiency and farmers incomes， and promoting green production， the document said. “Chinas countryside should be a fascinating place. Agriculture is an attractive sector and farming should be an admirable occupation，” said Tang Renjian， deputy director of the central rural work leading group. Building the kind of moderately prosperous society Chinas leaders envisage by 2020 means doubling 2010 GDP and residentsincomes， while lifting the whole population above the poverty line.

The urban-rural income gap continued to narrow last year， with per capita disposable income of rural residents rising 6.2 percent compared to only 5.6 percent among the urban population， according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The gap remains considerable however， with the per capita income of urbanites 2.72 times more than that of their rural counterpart. This disparity was highlighted in the document， with“continuing weak growth in the incomes of agricultural workers” listed as one of the prime issues to be addressed through supply-side structural reform.

A better deal for farmers， along with ensuring food security， is central to the planned reform， Tang said. During the reform process， it is imperative that national grain security be guaranteed， according to the document. Output dropped slightly in 2016， ending a 12-year rising streak， but still the second highest year on record. China has entered a stage of rapidly rising customer expectations. Consumers want their food to be of high quality and they seek greater choice. As Tang said， the basic objective of agricultural reform is to provide safe， edible food.

In pursuit of safer， more sustainable， higher quality products， there must be no increase in use of pesticides and fertilizers. Better quality-control and more systematic production will ensure the safety of produce. A chain of innovation centers will be created， and clean production that uses less water will be promoted and polluted soil be rehabilitated. Little can be achieved without financial support and professional expertise. Fiscal support for agriculture and rural areas should show moderate growth and loans will be made easier to obtain， according to the document.

Public private partnerships， subsidies and special rural development funds are just some of the ways the government will encourage investment， Tang said. Migrant workers will be encouraged to return home and start their own businesses. Careers in agriculture will be made more attractive through professional training for farmers and managers. There will be incentives for college graduates， entrepreneurs and returned students from overseas to bringing their technological and managerial skills to rural areas. If the right people can be attracted to start businesses in the countryside， it will lead to the fast development of new industries and new ways of making money， according to Tang.

Chinese government will make sure that supply-side structural reform in agriculture heads in the right direction， according to an official statement released Tuesday. As reform is crucial to the sectors long-term growth， no disruption will be tolerated， said the statement after the central rural work conference which ended on Tuesday.

Three bottom lines are no decline in grain production capacity， no change to the income growth trend for farmers， and no problems in rural stability， the statement said. The meeting also required precise poverty reduction gets another 10 million people out of poverty in 2017. China is likely to fulfill this years target of bringing 10 million people out of poverty ahead of time， marking a good start for lifting all its poor out of poverty by 2020.

Chinas Ministry of Finance on Tuesday released a guideline on publicprivate partnerships （PPP） in agriculture to diversify funding for the industry. Private capital will be asked to participate in areas including green agriculture， high-standard farmland development， modern industrial parks and logistics and trading platforms for farm produce， according to the guideline.

PPPs are collaborative projects between governments and private companies that are mainly funded and operated by the latter. China has explored funding infrastructure and public works through the PPP model since 2013 as concerns grow over local government debt. The ministry asked local authorities to cautiously select projects， ensure fair competition and transparent infor- mation disclosure and to strengthen regulation in PPP projects.

While local governments may hold shares in project companies， they should not interfere in operations and are forbidden from undertaking all the risk in any project， according to the guideline. The ministry also called for policy support such as expanding financing channels and ensuring land supply for PPPs. Data from last year showed the number of signed PPP projects and total investment more than quadrupling from 2015， with private enterprises participating in more regions and sectors than ever before. The strong momentum continued into the first quarter of 2017， which saw 28 percent more PPP projects inked year on year.