Page 148 - 2019 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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9 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
2.1 Agriculture and Forestry
Background also trying to foster new channels for their agricultural
products to increase farmers’ income rapidly and
More than 90 percent of all farms in China steadily, optimize the policies that benefit agriculture
are less than 2.5 acres, and the average and farmers, and strengthen the rule of law in the
farm size is among the smallest in the world, but over the agricultural sector. China wants to push forward rural
past four decades China has caught up to the agricultural reforms toward agricultural and rural vitality (Agriculture
development that took the Western world 150 years to in China IV), but what is happening in China is far from
achieve. Every kind of agriculture is now happening the whole agricultural story in 2018.
all at once: tiny family farms, gleaming industrial meat
factories and dairies, sustainably minded high-tech Rural Vitalization
farms, even attempts at organics. Thirty years ago about
a quarter of the country’s people lived in cities, but by The No. 1 Central Document is the name traditionally
2016, 57 percent of the population was urban, living given to the first policy statement released by the central
in a China that is wealthier and more technologically authorities of the year, and is seen as an indicator of policy
advanced. Their diet increasingly resembles that of the priorities. 2018 was the 14th consecutive year that it has
West (McMillan). been devoted to agriculture, farmers and rural areas. This
document, jointly released by the Central Committee of
As a net exporter of vegetables, China no longer has the Communist Party of China (CPC) and State Council
to rely on imports. According to the China’s Ministry in February 2018, claimed lots of work remains to be
of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), the country accomplished in Chinese villages where opportunities
exported US$15.5 billion worth of vegetables in 2017, for development have arisen as the country enters a
5.5 percent higher than the amount of the year earlier, new era (China Daily, Agricultural Growth). New was
but the growing middle-class demands products the greater significance of implementing a strategy for
from other parts of the world such as some specific rejuvenating the countryside, admitting to an increasing
basil from Japan or Italy (Liu, Despite growing). Thus, opposing trend and gap of rural and urban economic
China’s agricultural development will never again be development in 2017. China wants to deepen the reform
fully isolated from the rest of world, and the world on pricing mechanism for major farm products to ensure
agricultural development also needs the all-round that farmers sell their products at reasonable prices, but
participation of China. China will stick to the goal of also better quality. Fiscal spending in rural areas shall
basic self-sufficiency, while expanding its reach to increase, especially an increase in loans issued for farmers
other countries. The Chinese government claims it will are aspired. A rural land reform will separate farmland
continue to open up its agricultural sector on the basic into three categories: ownership rights, contract rights,
principle of cooperation and development. and operating rights, making land transfers easier in the
future. New industries and new types of farmers shall
The major challenges lie in rural areas and the become the new drivers of rural development (Bosu).
development of agriculture while at the same time
adapting to the new normal, continuing to deepen rural The strategy of rural vitalization was first proposed
reform comprehensively, and promoting synchronized as one of the major aspects of developing a modernized
development of new industrialization, IT technology, economy in a report delivered to the 19th National
urbanization and agricultural modernization. According Congress of the CPC. In this latest document, the
to the MARA, China will continue to prioritize food strategy was described as a “historic task” essential to
production, adjust its agricultural structure, and ensure accomplishing China’s modernization goals and building
the quality and safety of agricultural products. China is a moderately prosperous society. According to the
148
2.1 Agriculture and Forestry
Background also trying to foster new channels for their agricultural
products to increase farmers’ income rapidly and
More than 90 percent of all farms in China steadily, optimize the policies that benefit agriculture
are less than 2.5 acres, and the average and farmers, and strengthen the rule of law in the
farm size is among the smallest in the world, but over the agricultural sector. China wants to push forward rural
past four decades China has caught up to the agricultural reforms toward agricultural and rural vitality (Agriculture
development that took the Western world 150 years to in China IV), but what is happening in China is far from
achieve. Every kind of agriculture is now happening the whole agricultural story in 2018.
all at once: tiny family farms, gleaming industrial meat
factories and dairies, sustainably minded high-tech Rural Vitalization
farms, even attempts at organics. Thirty years ago about
a quarter of the country’s people lived in cities, but by The No. 1 Central Document is the name traditionally
2016, 57 percent of the population was urban, living given to the first policy statement released by the central
in a China that is wealthier and more technologically authorities of the year, and is seen as an indicator of policy
advanced. Their diet increasingly resembles that of the priorities. 2018 was the 14th consecutive year that it has
West (McMillan). been devoted to agriculture, farmers and rural areas. This
document, jointly released by the Central Committee of
As a net exporter of vegetables, China no longer has the Communist Party of China (CPC) and State Council
to rely on imports. According to the China’s Ministry in February 2018, claimed lots of work remains to be
of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), the country accomplished in Chinese villages where opportunities
exported US$15.5 billion worth of vegetables in 2017, for development have arisen as the country enters a
5.5 percent higher than the amount of the year earlier, new era (China Daily, Agricultural Growth). New was
but the growing middle-class demands products the greater significance of implementing a strategy for
from other parts of the world such as some specific rejuvenating the countryside, admitting to an increasing
basil from Japan or Italy (Liu, Despite growing). Thus, opposing trend and gap of rural and urban economic
China’s agricultural development will never again be development in 2017. China wants to deepen the reform
fully isolated from the rest of world, and the world on pricing mechanism for major farm products to ensure
agricultural development also needs the all-round that farmers sell their products at reasonable prices, but
participation of China. China will stick to the goal of also better quality. Fiscal spending in rural areas shall
basic self-sufficiency, while expanding its reach to increase, especially an increase in loans issued for farmers
other countries. The Chinese government claims it will are aspired. A rural land reform will separate farmland
continue to open up its agricultural sector on the basic into three categories: ownership rights, contract rights,
principle of cooperation and development. and operating rights, making land transfers easier in the
future. New industries and new types of farmers shall
The major challenges lie in rural areas and the become the new drivers of rural development (Bosu).
development of agriculture while at the same time
adapting to the new normal, continuing to deepen rural The strategy of rural vitalization was first proposed
reform comprehensively, and promoting synchronized as one of the major aspects of developing a modernized
development of new industrialization, IT technology, economy in a report delivered to the 19th National
urbanization and agricultural modernization. According Congress of the CPC. In this latest document, the
to the MARA, China will continue to prioritize food strategy was described as a “historic task” essential to
production, adjust its agricultural structure, and ensure accomplishing China’s modernization goals and building
the quality and safety of agricultural products. China is a moderately prosperous society. According to the
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