Sannongfabu:

Mr. Deng previously noted that China achieved record-high grain production last year. Could you provide an overview of the overall target for China's grain production in 2024? Additionally, what measures will be implemented to ensure the success of grain production? Thank you.

Pan Wenbo:

As you mentioned, achieving record-high grain production last year was no easy task for China, given the frequent occurrence of natural disasters. The central rural work conference, held at the end of last year, made it clear that annual grain output should continue to exceed 1.3 trillion jin (650 billion kg) this year. Focusing on this goal, the MARA will employ a two-pronged approach of stabilizing the cultivated land area and increasing yield per unit to ensure overall stability in the grain cultivation area, tap the potential and expand the cultivation area in regions where conditions permit, make steady progress in production, and strive to increase production while optimizing the structure of crop varieties and quality. As Mr. Deng mentioned earlier, specifically, this refers to the "Three Stabilities, One Expansion, and One Increase" approach. The "Three Stabilities" refer to stabilizing the production of staple grains, corn and soybeans. The "One Expansion" refers to expanding the cultivation area for oilseed rape. The "One Increase" focuses on increasing yield per unit. The key measures implemented will focus on the "One Foundation, Two Key Aspects."

The planting area is the foundation. First, we will make sure all parties fulfill their responsibilities. Under the requirements of the State Council, we will assign grain production objectives and tasks for 2024 to provincial governments. Together with other relevant departments, we will examine the farmland protection and food security-related work done by provincial Party committees and governments and see whether they fulfill their responsibilities. Second, we will offer more support and make sure of the lowest purchasing prices for wheat and rice as well as subsidies for corn, soybean, and rice producers. We will be more supportive of raising per-unit yields and encourage local governments and farmers to make more efforts related to grain production. 

One important approach is to increase per-unit yields in large areas. The MARA sees this as the top priority for grain production, and it involves two aspects. One is to focus on major counties for grain and oil production and thoroughly promote the main planting varieties, technologies, and equipment in an integrated manner so as to fully elevate per unit yields. The other is to boost the production of individual farmers or farming households operating on larger scales. We will foster skilled grain producers to inspire and motivate small and medium-sized farming households to achieve high production, thus evenly increasing production across large areas. 

Another important approach is to control losses through disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. We will keep in mind that disaster mitigation leads to increased production, and preventive measures are more important than relief measures afterwards. We will do a good job in disaster mitigation to ensure agricultural production. The meteorological agency predicts that this year's meteorological situation is not looking good concerning agricultural production, so the task of disaster resistance and securing a bumper harvest will be strenuous. We will formulate disaster prevention plans and technical programs for different areas and crops, accelerate the construction of agricultural emergency disaster relief centers for both daily and emergency use, reserve supplies and prepare technologies beforehand, and implement other preventive measures. We will work on the frontline and be responsible for related work in different provinces and smaller regions, including coordination and offering guidance. We will assemble and deploy task forces and technical teams to work in disaster-stricken areas and offer guidance on implementing disaster mitigation measures in order to ease losses. Thank you.