Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 20th. Question: In the first half of the year, the supply of important agricultural products was sufficient, and the situation of increasing farmers’ income was improving
On July 20, the State Council Information Office held a press conference, inviting Zeng Yande, chief agronomist of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and director of the Development Planning Department; Liu Han, head of the Marketing and Information Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Liu Lihua, head of the Plantation Management Department; Chen Guanghua, head of the Veterinary Bureau, introduced the operation of the agricultural and rural economy in the first half of 2022 and answered questions from reporters.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xin
Yu Wenjing, Hu Lu, Ou Likun
The great heat is near, and the farming is busy. The great summer solar term is approaching, and all localities are promoting summer planting and summer management in an orderly manner, making every effort to capture a bumper harvest of food and agriculture throughout the year. In the first half of the year, what is the supply situation of “rice bags” and “vegetable baskets” in my country, and what is the price trend? How to ensure the momentum of farmers’ income increase? At the press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the 20th, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs answered the hot topics of public concern.
Zeng Yande, chief agronomist and director of the Development Planning Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has effectively coordinated the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and the development of the agricultural and rural economy in accordance with the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and the agricultural and rural economy has continued to improve.
In terms of “rice bag” products, the production of summer wheat has increased, and there is a foundation for a bumper grain harvest throughout the year. In the first half of the year, my country promoted the stable development of grain production with extraordinary and super strength. Summer grain production has withstood multiple tests such as the rare autumn flood last year, the spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and the rising prices of agricultural materials, and achieved another bumper harvest on the high base last year. The output of summer grain was 294.8 billion catties, an increase of 2.87 billion catties. The foundation for a bumper harvest of early rice and autumn grains is good.
The supply of “vegetable basket” products was sufficient, and the market was running smoothly on the whole. In the first half of the year, the output of pork, beef, mutton and poultry increased by 5.3% year-on-year, and the output of milk increased by 8.4%. The output of domestic aquatic products increased slightly, and the supply of vegetables and fruits was sufficient. The qualified rate of routine monitoring of the quality and safety of agricultural products was stable at over 97.5%, and the cumulative number of green, organic and geographically indicated agricultural products reached 62,000.
The price of agricultural products is a topic of concern to the common people. Liu Han, head of the Marketing and Information Technology Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that from the monitoring and scheduling point of view, in the first half of the year, the supply of key varieties of “rice bags” and “vegetable baskets” in my country was sufficient, and the overall price fluctuations were not large. Keeping prices basically stable provides important support.
According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, food prices in the first half of this year fell by 0.4% year-on-year, affecting the national consumer price index (CPI) to drop by about 0.08 percentage points.
Liu Han said that my country’s agricultural products are expected to continue to maintain a stable price in sufficient quantity. From the production point of view, the summer grain has been harvested again, the area of autumn grain has been growing steadily and growing well, the soybean oil plant expansion task has been implemented, the number of reproductive sows is in a reasonable range, the production capacity of meat, eggs and milk is stable, and the field area and output of vegetables have both From the perspective of inventory, the total social inventory of rice and wheat is at a historically high level, and the corn inventory has also increased; from the perspective of imports, the total imported grain from January to June was 79.78 million tons, a slight decrease year-on-year. As prices drop, it is expected that food imports will increase steadily; from the perspective of consumption, consumption of edible vegetable oil, sugar, livestock products, aquatic products and other products will recover, but the overall stability will remain stable, and the price will be limited.
Both harvest and increase. Zeng Yande said that in the first half of the year, the rural industries that enriched the people developed steadily, and the channels for increasing rural employment and income continued to expand. As of the end of June, the employment rate of returning migrant workers was 90.7%, a year-on-year increase of 2 percentage points. Driven by industry, employment and entrepreneurship, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in the first half of the year was 9,787 yuan, a real increase of 4.2%.
He said that the agricultural and rural economy has maintained a good momentum of development, providing solid support for stabilizing prices, ensuring people’s livelihood, and stabilizing the overall economic market. However, it should be noted that the development of the agricultural and rural economy is still facing many challenges, such as increasing the threat of disasters, increasing pressure on farmers to increase employment and income, and slowing down the growth rate of agricultural and rural investment. In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will, in accordance with the requirements of “prevent the epidemic, stabilize the economy, and secure development”, go all out to secure a bumper harvest of grain, do everything possible to increase farmers’ income, and continue to make efforts to promote rural revitalization.