The
Ministry of
Science and Technology yesterday decided to pour 150 million
yuan (US$18 million) by 2005 into the research and development of
agricultural product processing technology.
The investment is part of the ministry's action plan to push
forward the nation's arduous agriculture restructuring.
Other ministerial departments, including economic planning, trade
and agriculture, are going to join in the plan to strengthen the
development of agricultural product processing.
The technology used in processing soybean, corn, rapeseed and apple
topped the joint action's development list.
Ministerial officials said the development of agricultural
processing is essential for the farmers to fatten their incomes and
decrease the impact China's entry into the World Trade Organization
(WTO) has made on its agricultural industry.
"China's agricultural situation has changed over the years: We have
a full supply of products, but our processing capability lags
(other countries)," said Li Xueyong, vice-minister of science and
technology, at a working meeting yesterday.
In
addition to agricultural structural readjustment, accelerating
farm-produce processing will contribute more to the added value of
the agricultural sector, thus benefiting the wallets of the
farmers, said Li.
The ministry aims to create an additional 3 million to 4 million
jobs in the sector after new processing technology is adopted. And
about 50 billion yuan (US$6 billion) of output value will be
achieved by 2005 after the action plan is implemented.
For years, China's agriculture, animal husbandry and farm produce
processing industries have been separate in terms of production and
management, which has hindered the development of
agri-industrialization in a country with the world's largest
agricultural sector.
By
vigorously expanding farm-produce processing, China is expected to
resolve the farmers' difficulty in selling their products, leading
to smaller stockpiles, and helping reverse downward price trends in
raw agricultural products.
Liu Xingxin, vice-president of the China Association of Grains and
Oil, said China's accession to the WTO also demands the country
enhance its processing and storage capacity for labor-intensive
agricultural products, so as to expand their shares in the global
market.
"The Chinese agricultural produce processing industry, an important
component of the country's agricultural sector, is striving to
cooperate with other countries in terms of capital and technology,"
Liu said.
For a long time, low quality, shabby packaging and poor hygiene
conditions have been a barrier to the export of China's processed
agricultural products and have weakened its competitiveness in the
domestic market.
"Small-sized production models combined with outdated equipment are
what is hindering the development of our agricultural produce
processing industry," Liu said.
Upgrading the sector is a crucial step to transform traditional
agriculture into industrialized agriculture in China, Liu
added.
(China
Daily July 3, 2002)