Striving for a bountiful grain harvest, People's Daily: Make every effort to resist and reduce disasters, autumn grain | Ministry of Rural Affairs | Disaster Reduction
On August 17th, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting to study and deploy flood control, disaster relief, and post disaster recovery and reconstruction work.The meeting pointed out that efforts should be made to repair damaged farmland and agricultural facilities, increase the guarantee of agricultural supplies, strengthen agricultural technology guidance for farmers, organize farmers to actively replant and remedy, do a good job in agricultural disaster prevention and reduction, minimize agricultural losses, and ensure national food security.
In response to a new round of heavy rainfall, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice on August 19, requiring all levels of agriculture and rural departments to strengthen monitoring and early warning, implement defense measures early, and focus on post disaster production recovery to minimize disaster losses;
On August 19th, the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Ministry of Emergency Management, once again allocated 1 billion yuan of central natural disaster relief funds, with a focus on supporting the relief work of flood victims;
The People's Bank of China has decided to increase the loan quota for agriculture and small businesses in six provinces, namely Beijing, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Fujian, and Chongqing, by 35 billion yuan to support disaster relief and post disaster reconstruction financial services.
In recent days, work groups, batches of technicians, and service teams have rushed to the disaster stricken areas, making every effort to resist and reduce disasters, and accelerating the restoration of agricultural production. In the fields of Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, a large mobile pump truck is pumping water nearby, and emergency rescue teams are on duty day and night, rushing to drain 3000 cubic meters of accumulated water from farmland every hour. At the county, township, and village levels in Langfang City, Hebei Province, about 1000 agricultural technicians have been sent to the front line to guide farmers in scientific operations
Autumn grain is the mainstay of annual grain production. It is a critical period for the formation of autumn grain production, and various regions and departments are implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, consolidating their efforts and taking solid actions. Cadres and masses in disaster stricken areas overcome difficulties; Promote large-scale bill of lading production to increase production in areas unaffected by disasters. The vast fields have launched a tough battle to fight against disasters and protect autumn crops, striving to achieve a bountiful annual grain harvest.
Accurate guidance, classified policy implementation, and minimizing agricultural losses to the greatest extent possible
Strengthening agricultural disaster relief and production recovery is an urgent task at present. Relevant departments and disaster stricken areas will implement detailed measures, provide precise guidance, classify policies, and minimize agricultural losses to the greatest extent possible.
Flood control and disaster relief, equipment support to the fields and land.
In recent days, the field machinery in Lianhua Village, Shulan City, Jilin Province has been roaring, and the pumping pump has been operating non-stop for 24 hours, rushing to drain the waterlogging. Guo Yuliang, a major grain grower, said, "A pumping pump operates at full capacity and can pump out 2000 cubic meters of accumulated water per hour. Our village has three equipment in place at once, and the big stone in our heart has finally landed. As of now, Shulan City has completed the drainage work of over 200000 acres of farmland.".
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the Ministry of Emergency Management, jointly issued a notice to urgently mobilize drainage and irrigation machinery and equipment to carry out disaster relief and rush to drain accumulated water in the fields. More than 2270 emergency service teams for agricultural machinery operations have been organized, helping affected farmers to rush to drain 9.31 million mu of accumulated water. The drainage task for flooded farmland in the Northeast region has been basically completed.
"At present, the agricultural flooding situation in the affected areas has been basically stable. The next step will be to track and dispatch the dynamic situation of the affected farmland area, water level changes, etc. in flood storage and detention areas, flood discharge areas, river banks, etc., and timely organize places with conditions to rush to discharge accumulated water." Wang Jiayun, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Mechanization Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, introduced.
Divide crops and disaster situations, implement targeted policies, and ensure production recovery.
"Rainfall can lead to fertilizer loss and a decrease in the vitality of corn plant roots. First, use urea fertilizer to promote growth, and wait for 6-8 days after corn tasseling before spraying foliar fertilizer during disease and pest control." Geng Liyan, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Technology Promotion Center in Yuanshi County, Hebei Province, has been stationed in Dongbao Village for many days, carefully guiding post disaster agricultural water and fertilizer management techniques.
"By implementing timely water and fertilizer management, our flooded corn has grown!" said Su Min, a grain grower. She planted 2100 acres of corn this year, and some low lying fields had corn seedlings soaked in water, causing discoloration and lodging.
"Late stage fertilization is the key to increasing yield." Li Xinhai, Chief Scientist of the National Corn Industry Technology System, said that waterlogging and waterlogging can lead to soil nutrient loss, making it difficult to meet the nutrient supply during the corn filling period, which can easily lead to corn fertilization. It is important to pay attention to timely fertilization and promote growth in flooded plots. Experts in disaster stricken areas have strengthened fertilizer and water management based on actual conditions, adopted "one spray, multiple effects" technical measures for comprehensive prevention and control, improved maize activity and resistance, and promoted plant recovery and normal growth.
How to restore production in disaster stricken areas?
Liu Lihua, Deputy Director of the Planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that the key is to do a good job in classification and precise policy. Strengthen field management and timely fertilization and pesticide application for lightly affected fields to promote crop growth and recovery. For severely affected and no harvest plots, it is necessary to study and replant plans one by one, adjust and transport disaster relief seeds and fertilizers, and quickly replant crops with short growth periods and market demand.
"After the flood disaster, our rice paddies have completed multiple rounds of plant protection. A few days ago, drones flew continuously for more than 40 hours. Li Xueming, a grain grower from Jinxing Village, Ping'an Town, Shulan City, Jilin Province, reached out to weigh the rice ears and breathed a sigh of relief." They are quite heavy and hard, not much different from previous years. "Currently, more than 80% of the affected farmland in Shulan City has completed the spraying of disinfectants.". As of now, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Jilin Province has organized 27700 technical personnel at all levels in the province to spray 322000 mu of foliar fertilizer and plant growth regulators, and prevent and control 104000 mu of pests and diseases.
On August 15th, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice on how to effectively restore production after floods and achieve a bountiful harvest of grain and agriculture throughout the year. It requires all regions to take unconventional measures, implement ten measures for post disaster agricultural production recovery, stable grain and important agricultural product production, strengthen post disaster field management and replanting, and restore planting production as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have urgently allocated 732 million yuan in agricultural production disaster prevention and relief funds to support flood prevention and relief as well as post disaster production recovery in relevant provinces. As of now, the government at all levels in the disaster area has invested a total of 540 million yuan in funds, implemented post disaster field management measures such as foliar fertilizer spraying and pest prevention and control, and adjusted and transported 1.06 million kilograms of disaster relief seeds. 54000 acres of short growth period crops have been replanted and replanted.
Agricultural insurance should compensate as much as possible and quickly, and never let the food and agriculture industry suffer losses.
The agricultural insurance coverage area in Wuchang City accounts for approximately 70% of the total cultivated land area. After a disaster occurs, the insurance company verifies and registers the disaster situation. Yang Guanghui, manager of China Pacific Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd. Wuchang Branch, said, "We have introduced an emergency pre compensation plan. For areas with significant losses and no production, we will first provide a portion of the pre compensation to farmers and strive to achieve full compensation and quick compensation."
In order to fully leverage the risk protection role of agricultural insurance and effectively assist disaster stricken farmers in restoring agricultural production as soon as possible, the Ministry of Finance issued a notice on August 15, proposing that insurance companies should effectively improve their claims efficiency, open up a green channel for insurance claims, optimize and simplify the claims process and procedures, and minimize losses.
Most regions of the country have normal growth of autumn crops and are confident in achieving a bountiful autumn harvest
Can we still achieve a bumper grain harvest this year?
Looking at the proportion, local floods occur, and the affected area of autumn grain is relatively small.
The person in charge of the China Meteorological Administration introduced that the areas affected by this round of extreme heavy rainfall are mainly distributed in some low-lying areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang, etc., some of which are main grain areas and counties.
Wuchang City is a major grain producing area and one of the areas severely affected by the disaster. Wang Shouxin, Director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Wuchang City, said that the rice planting area in the city this year is 2.53 million mu, and preliminary statistics show that over 1 million mu have been affected to varying degrees. Currently, 850000 mu of field water has been drained.
The relevant person in charge of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department of Jilin Province stated that this round of extreme heavy rainfall has caused disasters in major grain producing counties such as Shulan and Yushu, but the affected areas are mostly along the river and land parcels, with limited impact on the province's grain production.
"Overall, although the local disaster situation is relatively severe, the affected area accounts for a small proportion of the autumn grain planting area exceeding 1.3 billion acres in China, and the impact of floods on autumn grain production is limited," said the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Looking at the market, there is sufficient food supply and overall stable prices of agricultural products.
According to data from the Information Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, flour prices have remained relatively stable since the beginning of this year, while prices of bulk agricultural products such as rice and corn have remained basically unchanged from the same period last year. On August 18th, the wholesale price index of agricultural products by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was 120.05, a decrease of 0.19 points from the previous day. The wholesale price index of "vegetable basket" products was 120.26, a decrease of 0.23 points from the previous day.
Professor Xu Guangjian from the School of Public Administration of Renmin University of China analyzed that extreme weather has limited impact on the grain market. From the perspective of market performance, currently, grain supply is stable, inventory is sufficient, and wholesale and consumption processes are stable and orderly.
After years of effort, China has raised nearly 1/5 of the world's population with 9% of the world's arable land, and its food production has remained stable at over 1.3 trillion kilograms for 8 consecutive years. Implementing the strategies of "storing grain in the land" and "storing grain in technology", China has built a total of 1 billion mu of high standard farmland, continuously consolidating grain production capacity, and we have the conditions to maintain stable grain market prices.
Looking at the seedlings, the growth of autumn crops is normal, and we have confidence in achieving a bountiful autumn harvest.
On August 18th, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced that currently, except for some flood stricken areas in the northeast of North China, most areas of the country are experiencing normal growth of autumn crops. The soil moisture in most parts of Northeast China, the Yellow River, Huaihe River, and the sea is good, coupled with the simultaneous rainfall and heat, which is conducive to the growth and development of autumn crops such as corn, and the growth of crops is good; The southern region is the main rice producing area in China, and currently, the growth of mid to late season rice in the southern region is significantly better than that of the previous year, which was affected by high temperature and drought; The drought in the northwest is lighter than usual, and the overall growth of autumn crops is normal.
We will not miss the agricultural season to focus on production, and strengthen the management of autumn crops in the field. Pan Wenbo, Director of the Planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said, "The autumn grain area has steadily increased this year, especially the high-yield crop corn. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has organized and implemented a large-scale increase in the yield of corn and soybeans. The planting density of corn and soybeans in the main production areas has generally increased, and the rainfall and moisture conditions are good. The growth of autumn grain crops in most areas is normal, and there is confidence in various regions to achieve a bountiful autumn harvest."
Tighten the string of grain production and take multiple measures to ensure a bountiful autumn harvest
At present, China is still in the main flood season. rainstorm, flood, typhoon and other disasters are still high in many parts of the country. There is still a risk of flood disaster in some river basins. The soil moisture content in some mountainous areas in North China and Northeast China has been saturated, and the risk of mountain torrents and geological disasters is high. We cannot relax at all. We must always tighten the strings of flood control and drought relief to ensure a good harvest of food.
Based on disaster resistance, we aim for a bountiful harvest and plan ahead by crossing the pass.
There are still more than 40 days left until the large-scale harvest of autumn crops, and the task of fighting against disasters and achieving a bountiful harvest is still arduous.
Zeng Juan, Director of the Disease and Pest Testing and Reporting Department of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, said, "During this period, it is particularly necessary to strengthen field investigations, carry out prevention and early control in areas with high risk of recurrence, and avoid the recurrence of southern rust in corn in the Yellow, Huai, and Hai regions, as well as rice blast, corn leaf spot, and sticky worms in Northeast China, in order to minimize damage and losses."
Seize the window period in various regions and strive to ensure that "insects seize food". Langfang City, Hebei Province, printed and distributed the Field Management Technology for Grain and Oil Crops in Autumn after rainstorm, organized agricultural technicians to sink to the front line, and carried out disease and insect pest control and corn "one control and two lifting" control, covering 225400 mu.
Make overall arrangements for current drought relief and ensure timely and appropriate irrigation of crops in irrigation areas.
"It hasn't rained for over a month. By this time in previous years, the corn cob had already grown to the size of a small arm. Now, the leaves are seriously dry," said Liu Lin, a grain grower in Xiwan Village, Ningyuanbao Town, Jinchuan District, Jinchang City, Gansu Province. Among the more than 7000 acres of corn he planted this year, nearly 3000 acres were affected by the drought. Since July, the rainfall in Jinchang City, Gansu Province has decreased by 60% compared to the same period last year, directly affecting 315000 mu of grain crops.
On July 31st, the Gansu Provincial Department of Water Resources launched the provincial level IV emergency response for drought prevention. According to Niu Jun, the Director of the Water Resources Department of Gansu Province, the province is currently mobilizing the public to use water cellars and other facilities to store water in advance. Emergency water supply measures such as starting backup water sources, operating machinery wells, installing temporary pipelines, setting up temporary water supply points, and organizing water supply are being taken in a timely manner to minimize the impact of drought on agriculture, animal husbandry, and people's livelihoods.
The current drought situation in the northwest region is relatively prominent, with 1182000 hectares of crops affected and 27.59 million hectares of grasslands affected. On August 15th, the National Defense Administration launched a Level IV emergency response for drought resistance in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The Ministry of Emergency Management, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the China Meteorological Administration, have successively issued the "Scientific Drought Relief Spring Management Plan for Harvesting Summer Grain and Oil" and the "Scientific Disaster Prevention and Reduction Plan for Harvesting Autumn Grain", guiding the work of agricultural drought resistance and disaster reduction to ensure food security.
Make amends with abundance, and strengthen the management of autumn grain fields in areas not affected by disasters.
Since the beginning of this year, various regions have taken extraordinary and strong measures, organizing expert groups and technology teams to package crops in different zones, providing precise guidance services for the large-scale increase of yield of major grain and oil crops.
"Except for a small number of low-lying and easily waterlogged plots affected by floods, the vast majority of plots in the reclamation area have not been affected." Liang Daoman, General Manager of the Agricultural Development Department of Beidahuang Group, introduced that this year, the planting area of grain crops in Beidahuang is 46.46 million mu, an increase of 800000 mu from the previous year. Currently, the three main crops of rice, corn, and soybeans are growing normally, with good growth and abundant harvest conditions.
Since the summer sowing this year, Henan Province has been vigorously focusing on early sowing, area implementation, promotion of high-quality varieties, and density improvement. The autumn grain area has remained stable at over 76 million mu, with an average corn density of over 4400 plants, an increase of over 200 plants compared to the previous year. The province has dispatched 18 expert guidance groups for autumn grain and soybean corn strip composite planting to various regions for technical guidance. The average density of corn in Shandong Province has increased by 159 plants per mu, with an increase of 300-500 plants in project counties.
Pan Wenbo introduced that this year, the main autumn grain producing areas in northern China will extensively promote key measures such as corn and soybean densification, precise fertilizer and water regulation, and "one spray, multiple promotions" in the middle and later stages, promoting strong seedlings and stable growth, grouting and ripening, post disaster recovery, and yield improvement. Efforts will be made to make up for losses with abundance and summer with autumn.
Accelerate the repair of damaged fields and consolidate the foundation of grain production capacity.
Affected by rainstorm and flood disasters, many farmland and agricultural infrastructure in the affected areas were damaged to varying degrees. On the basis of understanding the basic situation of agricultural disasters, various regions have classified and formulated restoration plans to strengthen the foundation of agricultural development.
On August 10th, the last section of the flooded road in Jinma Town, Shulan City was repaired. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Jilin Province requires timely dredging and dredging of blocked channels. "Repair agricultural facilities as soon as possible, break through the supply gap of agricultural inputs, and let the people produce and grow grain with peace of mind," said the relevant person in charge of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Shulan City.
Guo Yongtian, Director of the Farmland Construction Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that the next step will be to actively support the restoration of flooded farmland in conjunction with the implementation of high standard farmland construction projects, with a focus on repairing field ditches, bridges, culverts, pumping stations, and mechanized roads to restore agricultural production conditions. At the same time, scientific and rational utilization of post disaster sludge, crop straw and other waste materials, accumulation of organic fertilizer, appropriate application of urea and biological agents, promotion of organic matter maturation, rapid restoration of soil fertility, and comprehensive consolidation of the foundation of food security.
