2018/07/03

A technical symposium on addressing the weak links in the full-process mechanization of major crop production was held in Qingdao, Shandong Province.

On June 27–28, the Agricultural Machinery Promotion Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs convened a technical symposium in Qingdao on addressing weak links in the full-process mechanization of major crop production. The meeting reviewed and shared the achievements made in recent years in advancing full-process mechanization, and deliberated strategies and measures to further overcome bottlenecks and accelerate the transition to fully mechanized farming. More than 60 participants attended, including responsible officials from the Mechanization Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the China Agricultural Mechanization Association, selected experts from the Expert Guidance Group for the Full-Process Mechanization Initiative, as well as representatives from agricultural machinery promotion agencies in 35 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country.

2017/05/20

Expert: Banning straw burning must put farmers’ interests first.

China National Radio, Beijing, May 19 — According to a report by China Rural Voice’s program “Three Rural Issues,” Henan Province plans to install 20,000 new surveillance cameras this year to establish a “Blue Sky Guardian” monitoring system that will provide nearly statewide coverage, thereby strengthening controls over the burning of crop residues. In addition, Henan will continue to impose strict financial penalties: based on fire‑spot coordinates and locations provided by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, each county, city, or district will have 500,000 yuan deducted for every detected burn. With the start of the summer harvest each year, local governments issue policies banning straw burning. In recent years, enforcement and oversight of these bans have grown increasingly stringent; farmers caught burning straw illegally may face fines or even detention. During the autumn harvest, some grassroots officials set up camp along field edges, maintaining round‑the‑clock vigilance. Despite such rigorous measures, why do farmers still light fires? Li Chang’an, a special commentator for China Rural Voice, argues that addressing straw burning must first put farmers’ interests front and center, fully respecting their traditional farming practices and agricultural systems. By shifting from simplistic, heavy‑handed approaches to scientifically sound utilization, the ban on straw burning can become a natural outcome. Li Chang’an notes that straw, an indispensable byproduct of agricultural production, has become a major environmental challenge. Some farmers, unaware of current realities, still resort to burning it in old‑fashioned ways, inadvertently adding another layer of smog to the skies. The haze caused by straw burning releases large amounts of toxic and harmful substances, posing serious health risks to humans and other living beings. For this reason, minimizing—and ultimately eliminating—straw burning has become a key agricultural and environmental policy. At present, governments at all levels in China are employing a three‑pronged strategy: outright bans, resourceful utilization, and coordinated prevention efforts. However, in practice, some localities have adopted overly simplistic and heavy‑handed methods, sparking discontent among farmers. In fact, if central and local policies are earnestly implemented, much better results can be achieved. For example, households and farmer cooperatives could be encouraged to purchase straw‑chopping and baling machines, with additional subsidies from local budgets on top of national support. Through a series of policies that promote utilization as a means of enforcement, while respecting farmers’ traditional practices and agricultural systems and tailoring solutions to local conditions, the goal of banning straw burning can gradually become a reality. Li Chang’an emphasizes that tackling straw burning is a systemic undertaking. A blanket ban alone cannot address the root causes; we must squarely confront differing interests. Efforts should focus on scientific, comprehensive utilization and targeted subsidies, coupled with intensified public outreach to gradually cultivate modern environmental awareness among farmers. He further suggests introducing supportive policies for enterprises involved in straw procurement, storage, and related land use, as well as tax incentives. Priority should be given to biomass‑based molded fuels—products with short conversion pathways and mature technologies—providing robust backing. Crucially, subsidy funds must deliver tangible benefits to farmers; arbitrary reductions or withholding of payments under various pretexts would undermine farmers’ motivation to utilize straw responsibly and weaken the enthusiasm of businesses engaged in its processing and utilization. Additionally, stepping up public education campaigns is another effective measure. This could include distributing rural environmental‑protection brochures, deploying mobile information vehicles, and hanging banners and slogans, thereby raising public awareness and encouraging society at large to actively participate in the effort to ban straw burning.

2017/02/04

Tianjin imposes fines of up to 2,000 yuan for open-air burning of crop residues.

The Sixth Session of the Sixteenth Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress adopted the “Decision of the Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress on the Comprehensive Utilization of Crop Straw and the Prohibition of Open‑Air Burning,” which stipulates that, effective March 1 of this year, open‑air burning of crop straw will be subject to a fine of no less than RMB 500 and no more than RMB 2,000; if the act constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law. In order to implement the major national strategy of coordinated development for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and the concept of green development, protect the ecological environment of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei area and its surrounding regions, safeguard public health, promote the comprehensive utilization of crop straw, and prohibit open‑air burning of crop straw, and in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Agriculture, and other relevant laws and administrative regulations, and taking into account the actual conditions of this municipality, open‑air burning of crop straw is hereby comprehensively prohibited throughout the administrative territory of this city. It is understood that people’s governments at all levels are the principal entities responsible for advancing the comprehensive utilization of crop straw and enforcing the ban on open‑air burning. They shall establish and improve systems of administrative leadership responsibility, target‑based management accountability, and work‑coordination mechanisms, and employ a combination of legal, administrative, economic, and scientific‑technological measures to achieve the goals of comprehensive straw utilization and the prohibition of open‑air burning. The administrative departments in charge of agriculture and environmental protection shall, within their respective jurisdictions, assume responsibility for promoting the comprehensive utilization of crop straw and enforcing the ban on open‑air burning, respectively. Departments of development and reform, finance, science and technology, public security, transportation, and others shall, in accordance with their respective duties, collaborate to ensure the effective implementation of these measures. According to the Decision, if an agricultural operator or any other party engages in open‑air burning of crop straw, the environmental protection administrative department shall order them to cease the illegal activity and may impose a fine of no less than RMB 500 and no more than RMB 2,000; if the conduct constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law. If an agricultural operator fails to adopt measures for the comprehensive utilization of crop straw, resulting in open‑air burning, the environmental protection administrative department shall issue a warning and provide educational guidance, and may impose a fine of no less than RMB 100 and no more than RMB 500—except where penalties have already been imposed pursuant to the preceding paragraph. This Decision shall enter into force on March 1, 2017, and by 2020, the city will have essentially achieved the full‑scale, comprehensive utilization of all crop straw generated within its jurisdiction.

2017/01/03

Expert Commentary on the “Action Plan for the Development of Agricultural Machinery and Equipment (2016–2025)”

China is a major global manufacturer of agricultural machinery, but it is not yet a powerhouse. Where do the gaps lie, and how can they be closed? What direction should China’s agricultural machinery sector take? These questions are being closely examined and debated by governments, industry associations, and enterprises alike.

2016/12/27

Be the vanguard of new technologies and equipment.

Agricultural machinery cooperatives have now become a key driving force in the development of agricultural mechanization, playing an irreplaceable role in promoting moderately scaled land management and innovating agricultural operating systems. What is the current status of accelerating the development of these cooperatives, and what challenges do they face?

2016/10/20

Pursuing innovation to address the shortcomings in agricultural mechanization.

2016/08/13

Strive to have more than half of the demonstration zones essentially achieve agricultural modernization by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

From July 31 to August 1, the Ministry of Agriculture held a training workshop on the development of National Modern Agricultural Demonstration Zones in Jilin City, Jilin Province. Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu emphasized that, as pioneering areas for the country’s modern agricultural development, these demonstration zones bear the historic responsibility of leading the modernization of agriculture. They must take the lead in advancing supply-side structural reform in agriculture and set an exemplary standard, striving to play a vanguard role in achieving decisive progress toward building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing agricultural modernization. The goal is to have more than half of the demonstration zones essentially achieve agricultural modernization by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, thereby demonstrating and guiding nationwide advances in modern agriculture and creating a new landscape.