China sees ‘strong agriculture’ in its future, but what stands in modernisation’s way?
By 2035, China will have ‘basically achieved’ agricultural modernisation, and rural residents will have ‘basically met modern living conditions’, Beijing’s new plan says
Already the world’s largest producer of many farm products, China has plans to kick agriculture modernisation up a notch and become a “strong agricultural country” over the next quarter-century – invigorating rural areas as food security and a gaping rural-urban divide remain persistent challenges.
The country, where most farmers still operate on a relatively small scale, aims to improve standards in farming supplies, scientific and technological equipment, and industrial resilience and competitiveness by 2050, according to a plan issued on Monday.
The blueprint, jointly released by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council, came as Beijing has put “food security” high on its agenda amid elevated global economic uncertainties and an intensifying trade war with the United States.
The plan underpins Beijing’s vision for a prosperous, modernised China in 25 years – a vision being hindered by a big income gap between cities and the rural areas where a third of its 1.4 billion people live.
“Strong agriculture is the foundation for building a strong socialist modern country,” the document said.
In a three-stage plan toward that goal, authorities pledged that there should be “obvious progress” by 2027, including maintaining a “reasonable self-sufficiency level” for important agricultural products and achieving breakthroughs in core technology research.