Enriching the food “resource library” and singing the “Classic of Mountains and Seas” of agriculture—Fujian’s experience in deeply implementing the big food concept

Hong Fan's eight political affairs, food is the first. The food issue is not only "the great concern of the country" but also "the concern of the people".

Entering today's Fujian land, there are thousands of rice waves on the plains, the fragrance of tea and fruits in the mountains and forests, and fishing rafts on the sea...

"Grain is food now, and the concept of big grain has replaced the old concept of grain as the key link." "Eating from the mountains and singing folk songs, eating from the sea and reciting the scriptures of the sea." As early as when he was working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping had made in-depth thinking and long-term planning on agricultural and food issues, and creatively proposed and explored and implemented the big food concept.

For more than 30 years, Fujian cadres and masses have always kept in mind their instructions, and under the scientific guidance of the big food concept, they have steadily developed grain production, cultivated and formed specialty industries such as livestock and poultry, fishery, fruits and vegetables, tea, and edible fungi, vigorously developed facility agriculture, and constantly cracked open grain sources. We have achieved remarkable results in building a diversified food supply system.

Concept guidance: "Establish a big agriculture and food concept"

In June 1988, when Comrade Xi Jinping arrived in Ningde as Secretary of the Prefectural Committee, he went to the front line to conduct investigations. He was deeply impressed by the scarcity of local cultivated land and the abundance of mountain and sea resources.

Fujian is known as "eight mountains, one water and one farmland". For a long time, the per capita cultivated land area has been less than a quarter of the national average. In the 1980s, the total amount of food was scarce and the varieties were single. Agricultural products such as meat, aquatic products, fruits and vegetables were small in variety and low in output. A large amount of grain and vegetables had to be imported from other provinces every year.

Through extensive and in-depth research, Comrade Xi Jinping clearly proposed from the dialectical perspective of "mountains" and "sea": "If Eastern Fujian wants to fundamentally get rid of poverty and become rich, it must take a path to develop large-scale agriculture."

Comrade Xi Jinping profoundly revealed the connotation: "Big agriculture is a three-dimensional agriculture that develops in a multi-functional, open, and comprehensive direction. It is different from the traditional, single, two-dimensional small agriculture that mainly focuses on cultivated land management."

Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out: "Stabilize food supply, grasp mountains, seas and fields together" and "develop agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery in an all-round way".

Fujian people have a tradition of "eating from the mountains and eating from the sea".

There have long been two kinds of food on the dining table of the people of Eastern Fujian: one is "sweet potato rice", which means sweet potatoes are grated into shreds and then dried in the sun as food; the other is large yellow croaker, a unique seawater fish in my country, commonly known as "yellow croaker" Or "cucumber fish".

On May 8, 2024, farmers select large yellow croaker in the fishing raft of Baiji Bay, Sanduao, Ningde City, Fujian Province. Photo by reporter Lin Shanchuan

Speaking of the story of the giant yellow croaker, Liu Jiafu, who is over eighty years old, still remembers it vividly.

At the end of 1988, Liu Jiafu, then director of the Ningde Aquatic Technology Promotion Station, submitted a "Report on the Development of Marine Fish Breeding Technology in East Fujian." The report mentioned that wild large yellow croaker is increasingly endangered due to overfishing, and artificial breeding has practical difficulties such as lack of technology, which has attracted great attention from Comrade Xi Jinping.

What makes Liu Jiafu even more excited is that Comrade Xi Jinping gave instructions in the report: It is necessary to concentrate resources on scientific research to solve the problem that large yellow croaker cannot be cultivated artificially.

“This directive gives Fujian giant yellow croaker a new opportunity.” Liu Jiafu told reporters. Since then, the mass breeding technology of large yellow croaker he took the lead in research has been successful, and the research results have gradually been extended to more farmers.

On May 8, 2024, Liu Jiafu learned about the cultivation of large yellow croaker at the National Key Laboratory of Marine Aquaculture Biological Breeding located in the Science and Technology Service Center Building of Ningde City, Fujian Province. Photo by reporter Lin Shanchuan

In the following decades, Ningde City continued to increase its efforts in scientific research, gradually expanded the scale of artificial breeding of large yellow croaker, and continued to make breakthroughs in the breeding of new varieties and strains of large yellow croaker.

Today, "Ningde Large Yellow Croaker" is recognized as a well-known trademark in China. More than 80% of the country's large yellow croaker is produced in Ningde. It is not only a delicacy for people from all over the world, but also one of the largest marine fish species in my country and an advantageous export. Agricultural products, the output value of the entire industry chain exceeds 10 billion yuan.

On Wushan Mountain in Fuzhou, there is a "Xianshu Pavilion". This is to commemorate the deeds of Chen Zhenlong, a Fuzhou native during the Ming Dynasty.

During the Ming Dynasty, there was a severe drought in central Fujian and the grain harvest failed. Chen Zhenlong took the risk to introduce sweet potato seedlings from Southeast Asia. After official promotion and planting, he made great contributions to alleviating drought and hunger. Subsequently, this high-yielding and barren-tolerant crop spread across the country via Fujian, becoming a testament to the efforts of Fujian people to expand their food sources.

In the traditional concept of food as the key link, more mountains and less land is an absolute disadvantage; but as the concept changes to the perspective of big food, the disadvantage has become a unique advantage. What the cultivated land cannot provide, the ocean will provide, the mountains and forests will provide...

In 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping recalled fondly during an inspection in Guangdong: "When I was working in Fujian, I worked in mountainous areas and also along the coast. At that time, I proposed the big food concept, meat, eggs, poultry, milk, fish, Fruits, fungi, tea... these are all foods. In this way, although Fujian has eight mountains, one water and one farmland, it has many sources of food. "

This is the turntable-type automatic milking equipment for cows taken in Hongrui Ecological Agriculture Industrial Park, Yanping District, Nanping City, Fujian Province on May 8, 2024. Photo by reporter Jiang Kehong

During his work in Fujian, no matter where he went, from the coast to the mountainous areas, from prefectures to cities, Comrade Xi Jinping always cared about the people's "rice bags", "vegetable baskets" and "fruit plates":

——Promote the development of characteristic agriculture in various regions according to local conditions. Ningde large yellow croaker, Gutian edible fungi, Fu'an Tanyang Gongfu tea, Pinghe Guanxi honey pomelo... there is a long list of Bamin "local specialties" that Comrade Xi Jinping has cared about and guided.

——Promote institutional reform and technological innovation. Guide and promote the reform of the collective forest rights system to achieve changes in the mountains and forests where "mountains determine rights, trees determine roots, and people determine hearts"; focus on cultivating local talents, promote scientific and technological services to the countryside, and summarize and promote the "science specialization" system.

——Coordinate and coordinate production development and ecological protection. Guided the planting of tea trees in remote mountain villages in Xiamen to "development at the foot of the mountain and 'wearing hats' on the mountain"; committed to solving the "bacteria forest contradiction" in Ningde's edible fungi industry and promoted the development of Juncao technology; during the investigation in Luxia Town, Nanping, he asked " We must conscientiously follow the path of green agriculture and ecological agriculture."

——Let the masses "eat well and eat with confidence." In order to solve the problem of "difficulty in eating food" for people in Fuzhou, we promote the establishment of "vegetable basket" bases in the suburbs and plant alpine off-season vegetables; vigorously promote the "agricultural reform to super market", and take the lead in the country to carry out "table pollution" rectification...

In 2001, Comrade Xi Jinping, then deputy secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and governor of Fujian Province, personally presided over the formulation of the "Guiding Opinions of the Fujian Provincial People's Government on Accelerating the Adjustment of Agricultural Structural Structure", implementing the big food concept in the overall thinking and taking effective measures to promote big food Observe the implementation.

After working at the central government, Comrade Xi Jinping’s “big food concept” has been continuously enriched and developed, guiding the direction of “agriculture, rural areas and farmers” work:

The 2015 Central Rural Work Conference proposed "establishing a big agriculture and big food concept"; in 2016, the No. 1 Central Document included "establishing a big food concept" for the first time as an important part of promoting the structural reform of the agricultural supply side.

At the 2017 Central Rural Work Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “people’s food needs have become more diversified, which requires us to change our concepts and establish a comprehensive agricultural concept and a comprehensive food concept.” At the 2022 Central Rural Work Conference, the General Secretary pointed out that “to solve the problem of food, we cannot just focus on limited arable land, but must open up our minds and establish a big food concept.”

After more than 30 years of development, Fujian has achieved remarkable results in implementing the big food concept. The agricultural production structure and regional layout are constantly optimized, agricultural products with unique advantages are popular in the market, and the food supply is becoming increasingly rich and diversified.

"Steady grain" is powerful: As a major grain sales area with only 0.73% of the country's cultivated land area, it exceeds the grain production tasks assigned by the state every year.

"Plowing the sea" is a good way: aquaculture is developing rapidly, and aquatic product nurseries cover more than 120 species of fish, shrimp, shellfish, etc., and the per capita aquatic product consumption is more than 200 kilograms, ranking first in the country.

There is a market for “local specialties”: the cultivated varieties of edible fungi are the largest in the country, and the output of 9 varieties ranks first in the country. The annual tea output has increased from 50,000 tons in the late 1980s to more than 500,000 tons currently, and both output value and unit yield rank among the top in the country.

Yu Wenquan, president of the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the "big agriculture concept" and the "big food concept" are two sides of the same coin, with the former focusing on production and the latter focusing on people's livelihood needs. The development goal has been upgraded from "eating enough" to "eating well", the consumption structure has expanded from "grain" to "food", and production resources have shifted from cultivated land to a broader land space.

Spatial expansion: “Develop food resources in all directions and through multiple channels”

In addition to cultivated land, my country also has more than 4 billion acres of forest land, nearly 4 billion acres of grassland, and a large number of rivers, lakes and seas.

When working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping proposed to “treat agriculture as a systematic project to maximize overall benefits.”

During the National Two Sessions in 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "On the premise of protecting the ecological environment, we must expand from cultivated land resources to the entire land resources. If we are suitable for grain, we will be able to produce food, if we are economical, we will be economical, if we are suitable for animal husbandry, we will be animal husbandry, and if we are suitable for fishing, we will fish." , should be forested, and form a modern agricultural production structure and regional layout that adapts to market demand and matches the carrying capacity of resources and the environment.”

For more than 30 years, Fujian has deeply implemented the concept of big food, vigorously implemented the "Mountains, Seas and Farms" strategy, and strived to build a diversified food supply system.

In the 10,000-acre corn base in Dongyou Town, Jianou City, Nanping City, corn in the mature stage grows lush and green. In more than 10 days, some of them will be ready for picking.

This is a 10,000-mu corn demonstration base taken in Dongyou Town, Jianou City, Nanping City, Fujian Province on May 8, 2024. Photo by reporter Jiang Kehong

Lin Wujun, secretary of the Dongyou Town Party Committee, said that this is a fresh corn variety developed by the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It not only tastes good, but also comes on the market at the same time as corn in Guangdong, Hainan, and Yunnan. It is very popular in the market. With the support of the local government, the base has established a complete industrial chain of factory-based seedling breeding, processing, and straw recycling to further improve efficiency and reduce planting costs. The net profit of farmers per mu per season reaches 3,000 yuan.

The development of modern corn industry in Dongyou Town is an epitome of Fujian's implementation of the concept of big food. As a major grain sales area, Fujian strives to shoulder the responsibility for food security, implement the party and government's shared responsibility for food security, use "real money" to stabilize grain and benefit farmers, and build over 10 million acres of high-standard farmland. By 2023, it will achieve the goal of grain production area, output, and "Three increases" in yield per unit area.

The vast forests not only make Fujian the greenest province in the country, they also contain huge productivity and can provide woody grains, woody oils, vegetables, mushrooms, animal protein, etc.

When working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping proposed that "forests are reservoirs, moneyhouses and grain depots", providing clear guidance for the scientific development of forest food resources.

"Everything you try is spring bamboo shoots." Braised spring bamboo shoots in oil, stir-fried sweet bamboo shoots, roasted pig's feet with bamboo shoots... In the vast sea of ​​bamboo, fresh bamboo shoots are produced all year round.

"Compared with the fiber-rich spring bamboo shoots, the winter bamboo shoots harvested when the peach blossoms are in full bloom have beautiful colors and a more tender texture. We also use the newly developed rapid freezing technology to allow consumers to eat fresh bamboo shoots with better taste all year round. Bamboo shoots'." Zhao Yiping, general manager of Sanming Jiye Food Co., Ltd. told reporters.

On May 9, 2024, staff of Jiye Food Co., Ltd. in Sanming City, Fujian Province were trying bamboo shoot food. Photo by reporter Jiang Kehong

In 2002, Zhao Yiping took a fancy to the moso bamboo resources here and came to Sanming, Fujian from Hangzhou, Zhejiang to invest and build a factory.

"When I first came here, there were no roads into the mountains. Now, there are highways here. We have developed more than 40 kinds of bamboo shoot products and sold them to other provinces and foreign markets," he said.

The understory space is the second piece of "cultivated land" for Fujian people. Fujian makes full use of the three-dimensional forest space to develop the under-forest economy, forming multiple series of forest foods such as forest bacteria, forest medicines, forest bees, forest birds, forest oil, forest grains, and forest fruits, creating a natural "green food factory" . In 2023, the province's underforest economic utilization area will exceed 30 million acres, and the output value will exceed 80 billion yuan.

Farming the sea, raising fish, and asking for food from the rivers and lakes——

Fujian's sea area is 136,000 square kilometers, with 125 bays and more than 2,200 islands. The blue sea is the "sea granary" containing rich marine products and rich and high-quality protein.

During his work in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping proposed that we should "pay attention to sea areas as much as cultivated land, focus on ocean development as much as food production, and extend the tentacles of accelerating economic development from land to sea."

Under the guidance and promotion of Comrade Xi Jinping, Fujian is actively building maritime pastures, promoting the revitalization of the aquatic seed industry, accelerating the development of the fishery industry, and striving to do a good job in ocean development to ensure food security.

In the waters of Dinghai Bay in Lianjiang, Fujian, there are deep sea breeding platforms such as "Mintou No. 1", "Gandong No. 1" and "Dinghaiwan No. 1". Viewed from a high altitude, steel platforms the size of basketball courts lie on the sea, where large yellow croaker and other aquaculture products "swim and live" in the deep sea.

In the waters of Dinghai Bay in Lianjiang, Fujian, there are deep sea breeding platforms such as "Dinghaiwan No. 1" and "Dinghaiwan No. 2". Photo by reporter Lin Shanchuan

At the "Dinghaiwan No. 1" deep-sea breeding platform, staff can monitor data such as the pH value of seawater at any time and observe the growth of fish through an underwater monitoring system.

Lu Tonghui, the person in charge of the platform, said that the total area of ​​the platform is nearly 2,000 square meters. The far-reaching sea water where it is located has better quality, faster water flow, and larger space. The meat texture of the cultured large yellow croaker is close to that of the wild, and the retail price is higher than that of the traditional cultured large yellow croaker.

In April 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during an inspection in Guangdong: "Carrying out deep-sea aquaculture in the open sea and doing a good job in fishery 'seed work' can play a very important role in ballast for our food security." Stone effect.”

Today, there are not only large yellow croakers, but also dozens of new nationally approved aquatic products such as "Dongyou No. 1", "Xipan Abalone" and "Green Pan Abalone", as well as nearly a hundred high-yielding and stress-resistant aquatic products such as the high-temperature resistant "Fu Shen No. 1". New strains have also achieved breakthroughs one after another, and the coverage of improved varieties of major breeding species has increased significantly, providing strong support for industrial development.

This is the marine breeding area in Xiapu County, Ningde City, Fujian Province, taken on January 11, 2024. Photo by reporter Jiang Kehong

According to the relevant person in charge of the Fujian Provincial Ocean and Fisheries Bureau, Fujian Province's mariculture output will be nearly 5.8 million tons in 2023, ranking second in the country. Among them, the output value of large yellow croaker seeds reached 237 million yuan, the output value of abalone seeds exceeded 2.8 billion yuan, the output value of oyster seeds was 444 million yuan, and the annual output value of sea cucumbers exceeded 10 billion yuan.

The recipes of Fujian people today are richer, more scientific and reasonable than ever before. In 2023, the province's meat, egg and milk production will exceed 4 million tons for the first time, and the total output of aquatic products will be approximately 8.9 million tons.

"Safety on the tip of your tongue" cannot be compromised. When working in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping issued systematic and comprehensive instructions on the control of "dining table pollution". Fujian has also become the first province in the country to control "table pollution".

Freshness testing, biosafety project testing, safety risk project testing... In the safety inspection room of Fujian Changfu Dairy Co., Ltd., dozens of machines are running. Each milk product must undergo dozens of tests before leaving the factory. After leaving the factory, it is traceable, traceable and supervised.

On May 8, 2024, staff of Fujian Changfu Dairy Co., Ltd. were conducting microbial project testing on dairy products. Photo by reporter Jiang Kehong

In recent years, the overall pass rate of sampling inspections of major agricultural products, the pass rate of supervisory spot inspections of aquatic products from origin, and the overall pass rate of random inspections of processed foods in Fujian Province have all stabilized at over 98%, indicating that the food safety situation is stable and improving.

Starting from better meeting the people's needs for a better life, complying with the changing trend of the people's food structure, and allowing the people to eat well, eat well and eat healthily is the starting point and goal of establishing a big food concept.

High-quality development: “Improving the level of agricultural industrialization”

At Yiyuan Marine Food Co., Ltd. located in Ningde City, the reporter saw workers busy sorting and tying kelp and other processing links. In the finished product exhibition area, there is a dazzling array of kelp seedlings, ready-to-eat kelp, dried kelp and other products.

According to Su Shaohua, the person in charge of the company, in recent years, the market demand for kelp, especially kelp seedlings, has been strong. Farmers have innovated planting methods, cutting off part of the kelp seedlings during the growth process, and the other part continues to grow into kelp. Through the coordinated development of production, supply and marketing, the company's annual output value exceeds 100 million yuan, driving surrounding farmers to increase their income and become rich.

"'Eating' is not just about consuming food, meat, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, fish, mushrooms and bamboo shoots are all delicacies." General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out at the 2022 Central Rural Work Conference.

In March this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping further emphasized during his inspection in Hunan that we should adhere to the big agricultural and food concepts, actively develop characteristic agriculture and agricultural product processing industries, and improve the level of agricultural industrialization.

In Tiantianyuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. in Daqiao Town, Gutian County, Ningde City, in the factory-produced mushroom houses, clusters of plump, round white Tremella fungus grow quietly in an environment where temperature and humidity are precisely controlled. It can be launched in more than 40 days.

On May 10, 2024, in Gutian County, Ningde City, Fujian Province, a staff member of a food company was selecting and cleaning white fungus. Photo by reporter Lin Shanchuan

"We will study the varieties according to the market demand. For example, flake Tremella products require varieties with more ears and smaller stems, while ready-to-eat Tremella soup requires varieties with high polysaccharide content. We will develop precise research and development based on the needs." Fujian Agriculture and Forestry Sun Shujing, dean of the University's Fungi Industry Research Institute, said.

Adhere to the market orientation and promote the coordinated development of agricultural production, supply and marketing based on demand——

During his work in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that the comprehensive agricultural development in eastern Fujian is fundamentally about seeking a broad position for large-scale agriculture, which is the multi-level development of agriculture; Deeper inroads into agriculture.

"In which direction should the agricultural structure be adjusted? Market demand is the navigation light, and resource endowment is the locator." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the 2014 Central Economic Work Conference.

At the Central Rural Work Conference held at the end of 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “To take the road of quality-based agriculture, we must highlight the greenness, high-quality, distinctiveness, and branding of agriculture.”

At the 2022 Central Rural Work Conference, the General Secretary emphasized that the three words "local specialties" should be thoroughly understood. "Soil" talks about developing local resources based on a land and water. "Special" refers to highlighting regional characteristics and reflecting local customs. "Industry" refers to truly building industries and forming clusters.

What farmers grow and raise follows the market; extend the agricultural product industry chain and develop agricultural product processing... Over the years, Fujian has relied on agricultural and rural characteristic resources to accelerate the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries, promote the upgrading of the entire chain of rural industries, and enhance market competitiveness. and sustainable development capabilities.

While working in Ningde, Comrade Xi Jinping visited the ancient tea village of Tanyang Village in Shekou Town, Fu'an many times for investigation. He required the local people to grade tea according to local conditions, plant it in patches and on a large scale, manage it scientifically, create a brand, and personally guided the promotion. Improve tea varieties and improve tea quality.

On May 9, 2024, in Zhuyang Village, Xiping Town, Anxi County, Fujian Province, science and technology commissioners guided tea farmers to use machines to scientifically harvest tea leaves. Photo by reporter Wei Peiquan

Over the past 30 years, there have been more tea gardens on the mountain, and family farms are prospering. The Tanyang Tea Farm of Fu'an Agricultural Reclamation Group, with its long history, has continued to inherit, develop and improve its tea-making equipment and techniques. Children use this place as a research base to experience tea making; young people taste various tea drinks and refreshments in nearby milk tea shops.

"Big food" has grown into a "big industry" and continues to meet people's needs for a better life.

In recent years, Fujian has implemented a high-quality development project of characteristic modern agriculture to create "one village, one product", strong agricultural industry towns, modern agricultural industrial parks, advantageous and characteristic industrial clusters and other characteristic industrial clusters. The province has been approved to use more than 3,000 special signs for geographical indications, ranking first in the country.

Adhere to scientific and technological support, focus on bottlenecks and promote key core technology research——

“The situation in Eastern Fujian, with its large population, small land and relatively insufficient natural resources, determines that the development of our agriculture must be based on science and technology as a basic policy.” During his work in Fujian, Comrade Xi Jinping attached great importance to the issue of promoting agriculture through science and technology.

At the 2020 Central Rural Work Conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “we must adhere to self-reliance and self-reliance in agricultural science and technology, and accelerate the advancement of key and core agricultural technologies.” At the 2022 Central Rural Work Conference, the General Secretary further pointed out that the key to building an agricultural power is science and technology, and the key lies in reform.

Walking in the land of Fujian, you can feel the power of agricultural technology everywhere.

Look at the seeds: At the Wannong Hi-Tech Seed Research Base in Langqi Town, Mawei District, Fuzhou City, black, yellow, white, and colored sweet waxy corns are being bred and improved at an accelerated pace, constantly satisfying consumers’ sense of happiness; at the Jiaocheng District of Ningde The National Key Laboratory of Marine Aquaculture Biological Breeding and the application of genomic breeding chips have significantly improved the efficiency of breeding excellent species such as large yellow croaker and abalone.

Look at the equipment: In Xiaocheng Town, Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, in the vast sea, the "Dinghaiwan No. 2" breeding platform is wide and stable. It will be put into operation in 2021. The cage is 17 meters deep and can withstand typhoons of level 15; in Fu'an City In Xianghuan Village, Qi Town, in the 10,000-acre facility grape industrial park among the green mountains, white translucent "rows of umbrellas" are neatly arranged. This rain-shelter cultivation method can solve many problems in rainy climates, reduce the spread of diseases, and reduce 70% of pesticides are used, saving chemical fertilizers and improving quality.

Look at the results: In recent years, Fujian has built more than 2 million acres of facility agriculture, effectively expanding agricultural production space and gradually moving from "looking at the sky to eat" to "knowing the sky and doing it." For more than 20 years, "Science and Technology Commissioners" have written papers on the earth, brought modern agricultural science and technology to the fields, and trained traditional farmers into "field talents" and "soil experts." The Science and Technology Commissioner system has spread from Fujian to the whole country.

Practicing the big agricultural concept and the big food concept is the national development plan, which is connected with the people's livelihood of thousands of households. It is the change of concepts, the expansion of space, the exploration of resources, and it is also a vivid practice of the transformation and upgrading of the modern agricultural industry and the construction of a powerful agricultural country. .

Looking to the future, practicing the big food concept has broad prospects and unlimited potential.