Wings of Technology

Science and technological advancement is the key to China’s agricultural development

- Lu Yan

At China’s Central Rural Work Conference, held in Beijing from December 28 to 29, 2020, President Xi Jinping stressed that with China at the historical juncture of marching toward its second centenary goal, which is to build a modern socialist country, a number of tasks are currently essential and deserve the full attention of the Communist Party of China (CPC). These are the tasks of consolidating and extending China’s poverty alleviation achievements, advancing comprehensive rural vitalization, and accelerating the modernization of the agricultural sector and rural areas.

Xi said efforts must be made to increase the efficiency and quality of the agricultural sector, make rural areas desirable places to live and work in, and ensure that farmers are well-off. Xi also underlined the importance of speeding up breakthroughs on core and key agricultural technologies.

Song Hongyuan, former head of the Research Center for the Rural Economy at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), said that China’s agriculture has entered a stage of high-quality development, as the country is meeting the need of an increasing number of more demanding customers for quality agricultural products.

However, high-quality produce is currently in shortage, while the supply of basic and bulk agricultural products exceeds demand.

“Accordingly, agriculture should turn to technology,” Song said at a forum on rural vitalization held by Peking University in Beijing in December 2020.

Making progress