Province strives for rural vitalization

As a major grain producing province in China, Liaoning shoulders a sizeable part of the task of maintaining national food security. To reinforce this role, the Liaoning government is promoting agricultural development and rural vitalization.

This year, Liaoning recorded a total grain output of 25.39 million metric tons, setting a new historical record.

Changtu county in the city of Tieling is a main grain-producing county of the province.

Statistics show that Changtu's annual grain output exceeds 2.5 million tons.

"The key to helping Changtu achieve better development is to focus on agriculture and ensure the development of secondary and tertiary industries while ensuring food production," said Hui Anjun, Party secretary of Changtu county.

Inlaid in the fertile and even Liaohe River alluvial plain, Changtu is located in the world golden corn industrial belt, and is one of the largest peanut distribution centers in Northeast China.

According to Hui, rural vitalization is inseparable from industrial vitalization. Changtu will convert its agricultural advantages into industrial advantages, and develop its agricultural machinery industry.

In recent years, with its efforts made in promoting the high-quality development of agriculture and rural areas, Tieling has completed conservation farming on an area of 107,333 hectares, developed 39,400 hectares of high-grade farmland, and increased protected agriculture on an area of 1,000 hectares. The city has also established 21 test demonstration bases together with the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

The city government has issued a total of 190 million yuan ($29.8 million) of agriculture-related guaranteed loans, and has a total number of active e-commerce businesses related to agriculture exceeding 10,000.

In the future, the city will implement a black soil protection project, and launch the "internet plus high-quality agricultural products" campaign, creating a new phase of integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries, local officials said.

According to officials with the Liaoning Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in terms of rural industry development planning, the province will rely on its regional advantages in agricultural resources and modern agricultural industry foundation to foster a batch of strong agricultural towns and industrial parks, and cultivate 20 industrial clusters within three to five years.