No.1 paper targets agriculture

China on Thursday issued its first policy document for 2013, which highlights the significance of developing modern agriculture to ensure farm product supply.

The policy document, dubbed the "No. 1 central document," was issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and focused on rural issues for 10 years since 2004.　

The document pledged to grant more subsidies to large-scale landholders, family farms and rural cooperatives to encourage the establishment of large-scale and specialized farming.

Experts said the move was in line with the central government's goal of raising incomes for farmers and improving their livelihood.

"Traditional farming is based on small, family-run holdings. The production capacity under this system is low and farmers can hardly make any money from it," said Deng Dacai, a professor from the Center for Chinese Rural Studies at the Wuhan-based Central China Normal University.

Deng told the Global Times on Thursday that larger farms can promote agricultural production to a specialized and highly effective pattern, which will also help lower production costs and raise grain output.

China achieved higher grain output for a ninth consecutive year in 2012 with a record standing at about 589 million tons.

But imports also rose to 77 million tons, indicating that about 19 million Chinese people are now eating imported grain. The number triggered concerns over grain security in the country.

"The 77-million-ton import volume includes soybean, but the self-sufficiency rate of rice, wheat and corn, the three major food crops in China, are all above 97 percent," said Zheng Fengtian, associate dean from the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University, adding that "ensuring food safety is still the bottom line for all agricultural work."

Addressing the importance of grain security, the document also said limits would be imposed on commercial capital in rural areas.

"Commercial capital often targets land for investment," said Deng, adding that it might bring about advanced technology and market vitality into rural areas, but reduce the amount of arable land.

Deng warmed that the administration of such limitations should be carried out under strict supervision, "or it might give speculators opportunities to take advantage of the limitations."

The document also said it would improve registration systems for farmers' management rights of contracted land and aims to complete the work in five years.

Farmers should be entitled to a higher proportion of the value increases of expropriated land, and their long-term interests should be ensured, according to the document, which experts said was of great importance as the country is progressing in urbanization.

According to the results of the sixth national census, which were released in April 2011, the number of farmers decreased by 13.4 percent from 2000, a result of the country's urbanization drive, which was also cited by the document as a crucial way of solving issues concerning agriculture, the countryside and farmers.

However, professor Zheng cautioned that the process should be carefully dealt with, as "farmers' benefits should always be considered before the use of farmland."