The year of 2018 is the starting year to fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and implement the strategy of rural revitalization. Facing the complicated domestic and foreign situations and arduous tasks, all regions and departments insisted on taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide,resolutely implemented the decision-making and deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and coordinated the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. They performedtheir respective duties and responsibilities and did a solid job in agricultural and rural areas,with steady development witnessed in agricultural and rural areas and a good start in rural revitalization,which provided strong support for economic and social development, injected confidence into responding to risk and challenges, and played a role of ballast stone.

Grain production in 2018 remained stable throughout the year, with a total output of 657.89 milliontons, another bumper harvest year. The income of farmers continued to grow rapidly and the percapita disposable income of rural residents reached 14 617 yuan, enjoying an actual increase of 6.6 percent, and the growth rate was higher than that of gross domestic product (GDP) and the urban residents’ income. New steps have been taken in the modernization of agriculture, with the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress reaching 58.3 percent, and the comprehensive mechanization rate of major crop cultivation and harvesting exceeding 69 percent. Rural entrepreneurship and innovation developed rapidly, with more than 7.8 million innovative entrepreneurs returning to rural areas. Leisure agriculture and rural tourism have received more than 3 billion visitors.

It made new breakthroughs in green development in agriculture and rural areas. The quality and safety rate of major crops remained above 97 percent, both chemical fertilizer and pesticide usage have achieved negative growth, and the comprehensive utilization rate of livestock and poultry manure Foreword reached 70 percent. The development of rural areas presented a new trend. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued a strategic plan for rural revitalization, which kicked off the improvement projects on rural living conditions and promoted the in-depth construction of beautiful rural areas. The first Chinese Farmers Harvest Festival was also successfully held.It marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China and a crucial year for the comprehensive construction of a well-off society in 2019, which has special importance of consolidating the good situation of agricultural and rural development. In order to adapt to new situations, tasks and requirements, all regions and departments should adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and fully implement the spirits of the 19th National Congress of the CPC as well as the second and third plenary sessions, the Central Economic Work Conference, and the Central Rural Work Conference, which required them to insist on the general tone of developing with steady progress and the policy of giving priority to rural development.

They should take the realization of agricultural modernization as the overall goal, regard the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy as the overall starting point, view the agricultural supply-side structural reform as the main line, and benchmark the hard task that must be completed for the work of building a well-off society in an all-round way. They should make more efforts on fighting against poverty, improving agricultural development quality, stabilizing grain production, ensuring the supply of important agricultural products, promoting the continuous increase of farmers’ income, improving living conditions in rural areas, comprehensively dee pening rural reform, strengthening the construction of rural civilization, and improving the rural governance system, in order to ensure new progress made in rural revitalization, the successful completion of the rural reform and development goals and tasks promised by 2020, and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China with excellent results.

Note: The above information is sourced from the 2019 China Agricultural and Rural Development Report. To learn more please contact: +86 10 59194918.