Beijing Youth Daily:

Thriving industries are the prerequisite for rural revitalization. An important experience drawn from the Green Rural Revival Program is to take industries as our foundation. May I ask what measures you will take to develop local rural industries so that they have a competitive edge? Thank you.

Zhu Weidong:

Industries serve as the foundation for rural revitalization. During these years, all localities have laid a good foundation for developing rural industries, while weak business entities, short industrial chains, inadequate capacity to drive development, and homogeneous competition remain prominent problems. This year's No. 1 central document has stressed that we should adhere to spurring agricultural development by invigorating industries, raising quality standards, and promoting green development. We should also accelerate the construction of a modern rural industrial system that coordinates the planting of grain, feed, and cash crops; gives equal consideration to agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery; improves the interconnection of production, processing, and marketing; and promotes the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism. By doing so, we will turn agriculture into a large modern industry.

First, we should prioritize local specialties. Different regions in China, although differing greatly from each other, are blessed with a rich endowment of natural resources. So there is huge potential for developing local specialties. We should adopt modern operating concepts, standards, and models to fully demonstrate the competitive edge of local specialties, create brands with distinct local characteristics, and accelerate the conversion of resource strengths into product and industrial strengths.

Second, we will focus on industrial integration. During this year's Spring Festival holiday, rural homestays saw high demand in various regions, which emerged as a new highlight of holiday consumption. To meet new consumption needs, we will explore the multiple functions of agriculture, the diverse values of villages, and develop new industries and business formats, including ecological tourism, forest healthcare, and leisure camping. We will promote the integrated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas to create new growth points for the rural economy.

Third, we will strengthen the processing of agricultural products. To meet residents' demands for convenience and improved quality in consumption, we will advance the coordinated development of agricultural product production, primary processing, fine processing, and deep processing. We will renovate and improve processing facilities and further expand the breadth and depth of agricultural product processing.

Fourth, we will enhance rural logistics. Currently, some areas face difficulties in selling fine products and achieving good prices due to insufficient logistics distribution capacity, which hinders industrial development. The document makes plans on improving the logistics distribution system in counties and villages, optimizing the cold chain logistics system for agricultural products, and implementing high-quality development projects for rural e-commerce. In particular, rural e-commerce has become a crucial engine driving the development of rural industries. Through e-commerce platforms, local specialty products from remote mountain valleys can reach urban households. We will provide greater support to accelerate development in this area. Thank you.