100 billion jin of grain produced in Henan again
100 billion jin of grain produced in Henan again
19:00, November 27, 2009 
Email | Print | Subscribe | Comments | Forum 
Autumn is leaving and winter is coming. The data of the total year's harvest from Henan brought us warmth: The total output of grain for the whole year was 107.8 billion jin, which surpassed 100 billion jin for the fourth consecutive year and won the country's first place for the tenth successive time.
Henan's economy has withstood the impact of the international financial crisis and picked up rapidly. In the first 3 quarters, the province's GDP increased by 9.3 percent, and the annual GDP growth is expected to surpass 10 percent.
Industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization develop together to ensure stable and rapid economic development as well as social harmony and stability - Henan has found out a way of scientific development that is not at the expense of agriculture.
An Option
Based on provincial situation, firmly promoting food production
"What's the use of so much arable land? The output value of an Acre of land developing industry is dozens or even several times higher than that growing grain! " ... ... Since the reform and opening up, such arguments used to be quite serious in Zhongyuan. However, successive principal leaders of Henan provincial government knew full well that as a large agricultural province with a large population, Henan can not develop prosperously without agriculture!
Xu Guangchun, the Provincial Party committee secretary of Henan, took a clear-cut stance and repeatedly emphasized that compared with other provinces especially those coastal provinces, the development of Henan province has its uniqueness, so the prosperity of Henan could be achieved only if work relating to agriculture, rural areas and farmers is done well. If the food problem could not be solved properly, the basis of the rise of Henan would be impacted.
"Food production is related to national food security, it is our political responsibility to ensure the stability of increase in grain yield; it is also the necessary foundation for counterattacking the international financial crisis and achieving leap-forward development." said provincial governor Guo Gengmao.
A common understanding has been reached, and mobilizing the farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain becomes the top priority.
Henan dared to try something new. Since 2005 Henan province has abolished the agricultural tax, therefore more than 70 million farmers have gotten benefits.
That year in Henan, farmers' tax decreased by 900 million yuan, 19.32 billion yuan of tax has been reduced in the five years. Also, in the five years, Henan farmers have received subsidies of 1,003 yuan per household on average. Preferential agricultural policies have fully stimulated the farmers' enthusiasm, the province's grain-sown area increased from 135 million mu in 2004 to 144 million mu in 2008 with average annual growth of more than 2 million mu.
Since 2005, Henan province also has integrated 70 percent of the comprehensive agricultural development funds to invest in 24 major grain-producing counties in three-years successive so as to build a core area of grain production in Mid China. Now the increased amount of gain in the core grain-producing areas accounts for 80 percent of the total increase province wide.
It seemed that god wanted to test the will of the people in Henan. The wheat region of Henan suffered serious drought in last winter and this spring. The production of wheat faced great threats, all the people worried about grain production in Henan.
Facing the disaster, Henan emphasized "early response" when implementing preferential agricultural policies according to the principle of "dealing with urgent matters urgently, handling the special matter in a special way". 7.8 billion yuan of the direct comprehensive agricultural subsidy and direct grain subsidy in 2009 was allocated one and a half months earlier than usual; the subsidy for purchasing farm machinery was allocated nearly 3 months ahead of time. Spray machines, submersible pumps and other drought-resistant equipment were included in the subsidy for purchasing farm machinery.
At that critical moment, the provincial party committee and the provincial government launched an urgent action plan to fight against drought and ensure a good harvest. They rapidly raise 1.25 billion yuan, and completed an emergency irrigation project with less investment, shorter construction period and bigger returns by the end of April, and an effective irrigation area of 1,239 mu was created. Meanwhile, 13,794 scientific and technical personnel were sent to 48,000 incorporated villages to give face to face instructions to farmers on combating drought and ensuring a good harvest.
A set of measures promoting science and technology, building water conservancy projects and improving grain production capacity
Data shows that, the comprehensive grain production capacity of Henan has an accelerating upward tendency. Take the summer grain for example. In 1984 the grain output was over 30 billion jin. After 12 years it was over 40 billion jin in 1996, and in 2004 the grain output was over 50 billion jin. It took 8 years to increase by 10 billion jin. In 2008 it was over 60 billion jin, only 4 years taken to achieve the increase.
Increase in grain yield depends on policies as well as science and technology. Chen Guanguo deputy secretary of Henan Provincial Committee said that one of the most important reasons for Henan's continuously increasing grain output was that they took full advantage of agricultural science and technology to extend the use of improved crop strains and advanced technology.
Before 1980s, although Henan was a major agricultural province, almost all the grain species were introduced from other areas. The output of all sorts of alien crops was not satisfied because it was not "acclimatized". In order to cope with this predicament, Henan attached great importance to growing and promoting good crop varieties, and set up a crop breeding research team composed of crop breeding experts from national teams, provincial teams, and local teams.
At present, the coverage rate of good crop varieties in Henan province is 98 percent, and after nine upgrades, the average wheat yield has increased from 83 jin per mu in 1949 to 800 jin per mu. The scientific and technological contribution rate of good wheat varieties for wheat production has reached 50 percent.
Good technology needs to be introduced to farmers. Henan made great efforts to solve the problem of science and technology communication. In the critical period of wheat production this year, the project of "10,000 scientific and technical personnel take responsibility for 10,000 Villages" was promoted. Agricultural science and technology personnel and farmers had face to face interactions.
Increasing production also depends on water. Vice Governor Liu Mancang said that water conservancy construction in Henan developed by leaps and bounds in last 10 years, the same period that grain production in Henan remained the national standard barer. In 2008, Henan invested 5.66 billion yuan in water conservancy construction with an increase of nearly 60 percent compared with 2007, and the province's investment in irrigation infrastructure at the provincial level is over 3.4 billion yuan, it has grown sevenfold over 10 years ago.
In normal years, the total amount of water shortage in Henan is around 5 billion cubic meters and its water resources per capita is only 1/5 of the national average. Henan developed water-saving irrigation, saving more than 1 billion cubic meters of water per year. Last year, the annual food production capacity increased by more than 2 billion kilograms, cash crops production value increased by more than 3 billion yuan, and 121 million yuan in operating cost were saved.
A series of policies helped Henan to become the greatest force of the nation's grain output in recent years. The grain increment of Henan accounted for 1/3 of the country's total annual grain increments every year.
A road
Promote agricultural modernization to solidify the foundation of industrialization and urbanization
In 1990, the Fifth Party Congress of Henan province put forward the thought "strive to develop the food industry and revive the economy of Henan province". Hereafter, in the following three consecutive five-year plans, they nurtured the food industry as a pillar industry and began to explore the coordinated development of industry and agriculture.
After entering the new century, on the road toward a stronger agriculture and a more prosperous industry, Henan brought forward concisely and explicitly the idea of "using the concept of the development of industry to develop agriculture" and taking industrialization as a guide, and vigorously promoting the industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization.
On the Eighth Provincial Party Congress in 2006, the government of Henan province advanced that in the rising process of Henan, the agricultural modernization, industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization should be planned as a whole. Specifically, they should pay adequate attention to urbanization, which can be regarded as a carrier to provide a platform for industrialization and create conditions for promoting agricultural modernization; and they should hold on to agricultural modernization to solidify the foundation for the industrialization and urbanization.
In recent years, around the development of food industry, the provincial government put forward that Henan province would not only become the "big barn" of China, but also that they should be the "big kitchen", and even the "restaurant" of the whole world.
In 2008, sales of food industry enterprises in Henan province reached 351.4 billion yuan, ranking first in the province's industrial sector and second in the same industry within China. The production of meat, MSG, flour, instant noodles, vermicelli, noodles, frozen food and etc., ranked first in the country and Henan was considered the country's No.1 grain processing and conversion province, the country's largest provider of meat, flour and flour products, and the production base of meat and seasoning.
Today, in Henan province, output value of processing industry for agricultural products accounts for 1/4 of the whole industrial value combined, becoming the province's first major pillar industry. Over the last 30 years, the province's GDP increased by an annual average of 11.2 percent, 1.4 percentage points higher than the national average. In 2007, Henan's GDP broke through 1.5 trillion yuan, rising to fifth place from ninth place in 1978.
It is noteworthy that, in Henan province, the proportion of the first industrial added value in macroeconomic aggregates had dropped from 62.2 percent in 1952 to 14.4 percent last year.
Good agriculture also lays a strong foundation for the industry; and with good harvest, the people of Henan province also have more confidence.
Today, Henan, which is responsible for the national food security mission, has also formulated a National Food core area construction plan in accordance with the strategic thinking of "grain is the theme to co-ordinate the three rural issues". By 2020, Henan is expected to increase production capacity of 30 billion kilograms of grain.
By People's Daily Online
Henan's economy has withstood the impact of the international financial crisis and picked up rapidly. In the first 3 quarters, the province's GDP increased by 9.3 percent, and the annual GDP growth is expected to surpass 10 percent.
Industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization develop together to ensure stable and rapid economic development as well as social harmony and stability - Henan has found out a way of scientific development that is not at the expense of agriculture.
An Option
Based on provincial situation, firmly promoting food production
"What's the use of so much arable land? The output value of an Acre of land developing industry is dozens or even several times higher than that growing grain! " ... ... Since the reform and opening up, such arguments used to be quite serious in Zhongyuan. However, successive principal leaders of Henan provincial government knew full well that as a large agricultural province with a large population, Henan can not develop prosperously without agriculture!
Xu Guangchun, the Provincial Party committee secretary of Henan, took a clear-cut stance and repeatedly emphasized that compared with other provinces especially those coastal provinces, the development of Henan province has its uniqueness, so the prosperity of Henan could be achieved only if work relating to agriculture, rural areas and farmers is done well. If the food problem could not be solved properly, the basis of the rise of Henan would be impacted.
"Food production is related to national food security, it is our political responsibility to ensure the stability of increase in grain yield; it is also the necessary foundation for counterattacking the international financial crisis and achieving leap-forward development." said provincial governor Guo Gengmao.
A common understanding has been reached, and mobilizing the farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain becomes the top priority.
Henan dared to try something new. Since 2005 Henan province has abolished the agricultural tax, therefore more than 70 million farmers have gotten benefits.
That year in Henan, farmers' tax decreased by 900 million yuan, 19.32 billion yuan of tax has been reduced in the five years. Also, in the five years, Henan farmers have received subsidies of 1,003 yuan per household on average. Preferential agricultural policies have fully stimulated the farmers' enthusiasm, the province's grain-sown area increased from 135 million mu in 2004 to 144 million mu in 2008 with average annual growth of more than 2 million mu.
Since 2005, Henan province also has integrated 70 percent of the comprehensive agricultural development funds to invest in 24 major grain-producing counties in three-years successive so as to build a core area of grain production in Mid China. Now the increased amount of gain in the core grain-producing areas accounts for 80 percent of the total increase province wide.
It seemed that god wanted to test the will of the people in Henan. The wheat region of Henan suffered serious drought in last winter and this spring. The production of wheat faced great threats, all the people worried about grain production in Henan.
Facing the disaster, Henan emphasized "early response" when implementing preferential agricultural policies according to the principle of "dealing with urgent matters urgently, handling the special matter in a special way". 7.8 billion yuan of the direct comprehensive agricultural subsidy and direct grain subsidy in 2009 was allocated one and a half months earlier than usual; the subsidy for purchasing farm machinery was allocated nearly 3 months ahead of time. Spray machines, submersible pumps and other drought-resistant equipment were included in the subsidy for purchasing farm machinery.
At that critical moment, the provincial party committee and the provincial government launched an urgent action plan to fight against drought and ensure a good harvest. They rapidly raise 1.25 billion yuan, and completed an emergency irrigation project with less investment, shorter construction period and bigger returns by the end of April, and an effective irrigation area of 1,239 mu was created. Meanwhile, 13,794 scientific and technical personnel were sent to 48,000 incorporated villages to give face to face instructions to farmers on combating drought and ensuring a good harvest.
A set of measures promoting science and technology, building water conservancy projects and improving grain production capacity
Data shows that, the comprehensive grain production capacity of Henan has an accelerating upward tendency. Take the summer grain for example. In 1984 the grain output was over 30 billion jin. After 12 years it was over 40 billion jin in 1996, and in 2004 the grain output was over 50 billion jin. It took 8 years to increase by 10 billion jin. In 2008 it was over 60 billion jin, only 4 years taken to achieve the increase.
Increase in grain yield depends on policies as well as science and technology. Chen Guanguo deputy secretary of Henan Provincial Committee said that one of the most important reasons for Henan's continuously increasing grain output was that they took full advantage of agricultural science and technology to extend the use of improved crop strains and advanced technology.
Before 1980s, although Henan was a major agricultural province, almost all the grain species were introduced from other areas. The output of all sorts of alien crops was not satisfied because it was not "acclimatized". In order to cope with this predicament, Henan attached great importance to growing and promoting good crop varieties, and set up a crop breeding research team composed of crop breeding experts from national teams, provincial teams, and local teams.
At present, the coverage rate of good crop varieties in Henan province is 98 percent, and after nine upgrades, the average wheat yield has increased from 83 jin per mu in 1949 to 800 jin per mu. The scientific and technological contribution rate of good wheat varieties for wheat production has reached 50 percent.
Good technology needs to be introduced to farmers. Henan made great efforts to solve the problem of science and technology communication. In the critical period of wheat production this year, the project of "10,000 scientific and technical personnel take responsibility for 10,000 Villages" was promoted. Agricultural science and technology personnel and farmers had face to face interactions.
Increasing production also depends on water. Vice Governor Liu Mancang said that water conservancy construction in Henan developed by leaps and bounds in last 10 years, the same period that grain production in Henan remained the national standard barer. In 2008, Henan invested 5.66 billion yuan in water conservancy construction with an increase of nearly 60 percent compared with 2007, and the province's investment in irrigation infrastructure at the provincial level is over 3.4 billion yuan, it has grown sevenfold over 10 years ago.
In normal years, the total amount of water shortage in Henan is around 5 billion cubic meters and its water resources per capita is only 1/5 of the national average. Henan developed water-saving irrigation, saving more than 1 billion cubic meters of water per year. Last year, the annual food production capacity increased by more than 2 billion kilograms, cash crops production value increased by more than 3 billion yuan, and 121 million yuan in operating cost were saved.
A series of policies helped Henan to become the greatest force of the nation's grain output in recent years. The grain increment of Henan accounted for 1/3 of the country's total annual grain increments every year.
A road
Promote agricultural modernization to solidify the foundation of industrialization and urbanization
In 1990, the Fifth Party Congress of Henan province put forward the thought "strive to develop the food industry and revive the economy of Henan province". Hereafter, in the following three consecutive five-year plans, they nurtured the food industry as a pillar industry and began to explore the coordinated development of industry and agriculture.
After entering the new century, on the road toward a stronger agriculture and a more prosperous industry, Henan brought forward concisely and explicitly the idea of "using the concept of the development of industry to develop agriculture" and taking industrialization as a guide, and vigorously promoting the industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization.
On the Eighth Provincial Party Congress in 2006, the government of Henan province advanced that in the rising process of Henan, the agricultural modernization, industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization should be planned as a whole. Specifically, they should pay adequate attention to urbanization, which can be regarded as a carrier to provide a platform for industrialization and create conditions for promoting agricultural modernization; and they should hold on to agricultural modernization to solidify the foundation for the industrialization and urbanization.
In recent years, around the development of food industry, the provincial government put forward that Henan province would not only become the "big barn" of China, but also that they should be the "big kitchen", and even the "restaurant" of the whole world.
In 2008, sales of food industry enterprises in Henan province reached 351.4 billion yuan, ranking first in the province's industrial sector and second in the same industry within China. The production of meat, MSG, flour, instant noodles, vermicelli, noodles, frozen food and etc., ranked first in the country and Henan was considered the country's No.1 grain processing and conversion province, the country's largest provider of meat, flour and flour products, and the production base of meat and seasoning.
Today, in Henan province, output value of processing industry for agricultural products accounts for 1/4 of the whole industrial value combined, becoming the province's first major pillar industry. Over the last 30 years, the province's GDP increased by an annual average of 11.2 percent, 1.4 percentage points higher than the national average. In 2007, Henan's GDP broke through 1.5 trillion yuan, rising to fifth place from ninth place in 1978.
It is noteworthy that, in Henan province, the proportion of the first industrial added value in macroeconomic aggregates had dropped from 62.2 percent in 1952 to 14.4 percent last year.
Good agriculture also lays a strong foundation for the industry; and with good harvest, the people of Henan province also have more confidence.
Today, Henan, which is responsible for the national food security mission, has also formulated a National Food core area construction plan in accordance with the strategic thinking of "grain is the theme to co-ordinate the three rural issues". By 2020, Henan is expected to increase production capacity of 30 billion kilograms of grain.
By People's Daily Online
Related Reading
Special Coverage
Major headlines
Editor's Pick
Most Popular
Hot Forum Dicussion
