Rural revitalization aims to secure grain production

"We will comprehensively promote rural revitalization and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas," said Zhang Kuinan, deputy director of the Liaoning Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at a recent event.

As one of China's major grain producers, Liaoning is to "make stabilizing grain production and ensuring grain security the top priority of our work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers", during the nation's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Zhang said.

This year, the province aims to reach a total crop area of 3.53 million hectares, with a grain output exceeding 23.4 million metric tons.

To achieve the goal, Liaoning province is stepping up its efforts in strict arable land protection, enhancing the innovative capacity of the seed industry and promoting technology integration and promotion services.

The province will focus on the protection and use of black soil and push for technological breakthroughs in seeds, especially in developing new varieties of rice and maize with high quality and yield.

Priority will also be given to the eco-friendly prevention and control of major plant diseases and insect pests, the promotion of whole-process mechanization and the monitoring and warning systems of extreme weather, according to the local government.

By developing rural industries as a basis for the overall revitalization of rural areas, Liaoning province plans to cultivate a batch of towns strong in agriculture. They would have an output value of more than 1 billion yuan ($152.88 million) in the next three to five years.

The province will set up 10 national-level modern agricultural industrial parks over the coming years, which integrate multiple functions such as production, processing, logistics and research and development.

The province will also work on improving ecological and livable environment, which is another important part of rural revitalization.

This year, Liaoning province will launch a campaign to improve the rural living environment and ramp up its efforts to create more beautiful villages.

"We will improve standards for building beautiful and livable villages, and establish a total of 1,337 provincial-level beautiful demonstration villages (this year), to help promote better living and working conditions in rural areas," Zhang said.

In addition, the province will promote innovation in rural environmental management and protection mechanisms, and establish systematic and specialized operation and management teams to further enhance residents' sense of happiness and gain, according to the local government.

Wu Yong contributed to this story.