743.9 million yuan! Hebei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs releases the "Implementation Plan for 2021 Provincial-Level Special Funds Transfer Payments for Agricultural Industry Development Projects."

Release date:

2021-07-31

Recently, the Hebei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice announcing the release of the "Implementation Plan for 2021 Provincial-Level Special Funds for Agricultural Industry Development Transfer Payments" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"). At the end of 2020, the 2021 provincial-level special funds for agricultural industry development were advanced to the municipal governments through Document No. Ji Cai Nong [2020] 154. To better guide project implementation and ensure effective policy execution, cities are required to take the lead in formulating comprehensive implementation plans tailored to their respective regions. According to the "Plan," a total of 743.9 million yuan has been allocated by the Hebei provincial finance in 2021 for special transfer payments aimed at agricultural industry development. This includes 384.5 million yuan for high-quality agricultural development, 30 million yuan for seed industry infrastructure projects, 30 million yuan for agricultural water-saving incentives, 64.4 million yuan for science-and-technology-driven agriculture initiatives, 175 million yuan for integrated agricultural-industrial development, and 60 million yuan for branded agricultural projects. **High-Quality Agricultural Development** The focus is on building 10 distinctive and advantageous industrial clusters, including strong-gluten wheat, premium millet, specialty vegetables, authentic medicinal herbs, high-quality specialized grapes, mountainous region apples, premium dairy products, high-quality pigs, superior egg-laying chickens, and unique aquatic products. These clusters aim to rapidly enhance the quality and sustainability of green agriculture across the province, accelerating the adjustment of the agricultural structure. The strategy emphasizes large-scale, industrialized, and market-oriented agricultural development, with a strong push toward high-quality, efficient farming practices. Additionally, it promotes the adoption of site-specific, multi-layered, and water-efficient agricultural techniques to drive high-quality agricultural growth. 1. **Strong-Gluten Wheat Cluster: 30 million yuan** Leveraging Hebei's strengths in wheat processing and strong-gluten wheat breeding, this initiative focuses on optimizing wheat variety structures, promoting water-efficient wheat varieties, and expanding the cultivation of strong-gluten wheat to replace conventional wheat. The plan targets 20 counties (cities, districts) within key areas such as Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, Handan, and Baoding, where contiguous, large-scale strong-gluten wheat seed production bases will be established. This effort aims to create the largest national demonstration zone for strong-gluten wheat. Funding will primarily support subsidies for newly planted, contiguous, large-scale fields of high-quality strong-gluten wheat seeds. 2. **Premium Millet Cluster: 24.5 million yuan** Building on Hebei's competitive edge in the national millet industry, this initiative promotes the adoption of high-quality new millet varieties and water-saving dry-farming technologies to replace lower-quality, less marketable traditional varieties. The plan involves establishing standardized, green, and high-quality millet production bases in 15 counties, fostering renowned local millet brands, and boosting the overall area under premium millet cultivation across the province. Ultimately, the goal is to develop the nation's largest millet distribution hub, enhancing the industry's influence. Key funding areas include subsidies for newly planted, contiguous fields of premium millet seeds; grants for purchasing whole-plant harvesting machinery, straw baling/packaging equipment, and drying facilities, as well as constructing hay storage sheds. Additionally, subsidies will be provided to support the cultivation of specialty crops like millet and winter rapeseed in six riverside counties of Cangzhou City. 3. **Specialty Vegetable Industry Cluster: 45 million yuan** Capitalizing on Hebei's strategic location surrounding Beijing and Tianjin, this initiative prioritizes the restructuring of the agricultural sector by advancing modern urban agriculture and high-quality, efficient facility-based vegetable production. The plan seeks to optimize planting patterns, driving vegetables toward greater facility-based, large-scale, premium-quality, and industrialized production models. Efforts will focus on establishing Hebei as a leading supplier of vegetables to the Beijing-Tianjin region, while also strengthening emergency supply capabilities during winter and spring. This includes improving vegetable quality and boosting farmers' incomes. Funding will primarily support the expansion and construction of standardized vegetable production facilities. 4. **Authentic Medicinal Herb Cluster: 20 million yuan** Harnessing the prestige of Anguo, known as China's "Medicinal Herb Capital," along with the leadership of Hebei-based pharmaceutical giant Yiling Group, this initiative concentrates on critical areas such as developing robust seed-breeding systems and enhancing product quality. Adopting a model that combines leading enterprises with base-level production, the program emphasizes authentic medicinal herb varieties and promotes the industry's growth across the entire value chain. Key funding priorities include accelerating structural adjustments, supporting the establishment of new, contiguous, standardized medicinal herb bases, and setting up five regional quality-tracing and full-chain service centers in the Taihang Mountains, Yanshan Mountains, central Hebei, southern Hebei, and the Bashang Plateau regions. 5. **High-Quality Specialized Grape Cluster: 25 million yuan** Building on Hebei's advantageous position as a prime grape-growing region located at approximately 40 degrees north latitude, this initiative focuses on promoting high-quality grape varieties and constructing standardized, facility-based cultivation sites in the Huai-Zhuo Basin, the southern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains (in the Tangshan-Qinhuangdao region), and traditional growing areas in central and southern Hebei. The goal is to elevate grape quality and establish Hebei as a premier destination for premium grape production in China. Funding will primarily support structural adjustments and the construction of new, state-of-the-art grape facilities. 6. **Mountain Apple Cluster: 25 million yuan** Targeting the shallow hilly regions of central and southern Hebei, as well as the northeastern mountainous areas, this initiative focuses on advancing seed breeding, base development, and variety optimization to create a new "flagship" for Hebei's apple industry. Funding will prioritize supporting the construction and upgrading of large-scale, branded, high-quality, and efficient apple farms, helping to expand the area dedicated to premium apple cultivation. 7. **High-Quality Pig Cluster: 25 million yuan** In line with national directives, this initiative continues efforts to restore pig production and promote stable industry growth. Emphasizing a fully integrated approach—from breeding and raising to deep-processing and marketing—this program seeks to bolster the competitiveness of Hebei's pig industry. Key funding areas include subsidies for construction and renovation of large-scale pig farms, as well as one-time rewards for farms capable of producing over 3,000 pigs annually. 8. **High-Quality Egg-Laying Chicken Cluster: 15 million yuan** Building on Hebei's strengths in egg-laying chicken breeding and large-scale farming, this initiative encourages regionally tailored, specialty egg-laying chicken farming practices, further solidifying Hebei's status as a major egg-producing province.Funding will primarily support the technological and intelligent upgrading of newly built or expanded large-scale livestock farms, including subsidies for chicken house renovations, automated feeding systems, drinking water facilities, manure management, and advanced environmental control systems. 9. A special aquatic product cluster receives 15 million yuan. Leveraging the province’s strengths in breeding specialty aquatic species and its advantageous location near Beijing and Tianjin markets, this initiative focuses on developing key aquatic seed production hubs in areas like Huanghua, Caofeidian, and Changli. It also aims to establish a series of high-standard aquatic seed-breeding and propagation facilities. Funding will prioritize supporting the renovation and expansion of standardized production infrastructure for original and improved aquatic seed varieties. 10. A premium dairy cluster is allocated 160 million yuan (dedicated funds for dairy industry revitalization). In line with the "Hebei Province Dairy Industry Revitalization Plan Outline (2019-2025)" and the "Implementation Opinions of the Hebei Provincial People's Government on Accelerating Dairy Industry Revitalization," this funding will focus on supporting the intelligent and standardized construction of large-scale dairy farms, expanding core herds of high-yield dairy cows, ensuring stable raw milk procurement practices that benefit farmers, and developing high-quality forage grass bases—critical components for industry growth. The goal is to significantly boost both the average milk yield per cow and overall farming efficiency, accelerate the expansion of high-performing dairy herds, and strengthen the competitive edge of the dairy sector. Seed Industry Development Projects In alignment with strategic decisions aimed at turning around the seed industry, this initiative is tailored to meet Hebei’s unique seed industry needs. With the overarching goals of enhancing self-sufficiency and competitiveness in core seed varieties, the project balances short-term priorities with long-term vision, prioritizing both domestic development and international collaboration. By implementing the Seed Industry Enhancement Project, we aim to strengthen the scientific and technological foundation of the sector, empower seed companies to grow stronger and more competitive, and ultimately improve the quality, efficiency, and global competitiveness of Hebei’s seed industry, driving innovation and sustainable growth. 1. Construction of specialized crop seed-breeding bases: 12 million yuan. Following the principles of "supporting the best and strongest, emphasizing key areas, highlighting specialties, and implementing step-by-step," seven specialized seed-breeding bases will be established for crops such as Wuji double-high soybeans, Shunping fresh corn, Cixian sweet potatoes, Pingquan edible mushrooms, Anguo traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, Gaoyi honeydew melons, and Jize chili peppers. Priority will be given to upgrading existing facilities and constructing new, standardized production infrastructure. 2. Specialized seed breeding and innovation: 6 million yuan. Guided by government leadership, driven by enterprises, and supported by research institutions, 12 specialized seed innovation alliances will be formed in areas such as drought-resistant wheat, high-quality strong-gluten wheat, fresh corn, double-high soybeans, high-oleic peanuts, cruciferous vegetables, millet, potatoes, sweet potatoes, edible mushrooms, traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, and honeydew melons. These alliances will focus on developing and evaluating new crop varieties. 3. Livestock and poultry seed breeding subsidies: 12 million yuan. Funding will support the breeding of core seed sources for major livestock and poultry species, including dairy cows, beef cattle, laying hens, and broiler chickens. Priority will be given to building robust breeding systems at national core breeding farms and national livestock and poultry seed expansion bases. Agricultural Water-Saving Incentives In accordance with the provincial party committee and provincial government’s "Implementation Opinions on Further Strengthening Ecological Civilization Construction and Deepening Comprehensive Groundwater Overexploitation Management," this initiative seeks to maximize the advantages of dryland rain-fed agriculture in agricultural water conservation and reduction efforts. Focusing particularly on the central and southern regions of Hebei, it encourages relevant counties (cities, districts) to actively expand the area under dryland rain-fed cultivation. Advanced counties (cities, districts) that successfully complete or even exceed their annual targets will receive incentives. Smart Agriculture Development We are accelerating breakthroughs in critical core agricultural technologies while placing great emphasis on cultivating and attracting top agricultural experts and talent. This effort aims to overcome technical bottlenecks hindering industry growth, ensuring that cutting-edge agricultural innovations reach farmers’ fields and households effectively. Through these projects, we continue to support innovative agricultural stations and smart agriculture initiatives, offering assistance to agricultural tech talents in project application and implementation. Ultimately, we aim to build a comprehensive, highly innovative agricultural technology service network spanning all five administrative levels—province, city, county, township, and village—extending services directly to the grassroots level and achieving full coverage of technical support for region-specific, high-value agricultural industries. 1. Agricultural Innovation Station Development: 22.4 million yuan. Across all counties in the province, 64 agricultural innovation stations will be established, each centered around a county’s leading agricultural specialty industry. Supported at the provincial level, these stations will integrate R&D, technology introduction, integration, and commercialization activities. Expert teams will be assembled to drive long-term regional industrial growth and provide ongoing support to new types of agricultural operators. Key funding areas include expert-led technology services and pilot demonstrations of advanced agricultural techniques. 2. Smart Agriculture Development: 20 million yuan. We are actively promoting digital transformation within specialized agricultural sectors to enhance productivity and operational efficiency. Smart agriculture initiatives will be prioritized in 12 key specialty industry clusters, with funding supporting the establishment of smart agriculture demonstration zones in 20 counties (cities, districts). Additionally, 10 counties (cities, districts) will be selected to pilot “Internet Plus” programs connecting agricultural products from rural areas directly to urban markets. 3. Agricultural Research Collaboration and Talent Attraction: 22 million yuan. Of this amount, 13 million yuan will be allocated to international agricultural cooperation projects. Focused on clusters such as premium wheat, high-quality vegetables, and premium dairy products, these initiatives will leverage foreign (overseas) agricultural seed resources to tackle critical technological challenges in the seed industry. The goal is to break through longstanding "bottleneck" technologies, elevate the quality of Hebei’s signature agricultural products, and help more of the province’s agricultural goods gain global recognition. Funds will primarily support international collaborations on germplasm resource exchange, preservation, identification, and evaluation, as well as trials and demonstrations of new varieties developed using imported resources, alongside broader promotion efforts.Second, 9 million yuan has been allocated to the Agricultural Science and Technology Talent Attraction Project, which is closely aligned with the development of 12 distinctive, high-value industrial clusters. The initiative proactively connects Hebei with top-tier experts from Beijing-Tianjin and other provinces, encouraging these leaders or chief specialists to bring their innovative projects and proven results to Hebei for local implementation and commercialization. Additionally, a rigorous selection process will identify and introduce cutting-edge scientific and technological advancements that address critical bottlenecks, fill existing gaps, and tackle challenging "choke points" in key industries. Funds will primarily support the promotion of major science and technology projects that directly meet the urgent needs of industrial growth, closely align with farmers' practical production requirements, swiftly resolve developmental constraints, and deliver the most significant economic, ecological, and social benefits. --- **Agricultural Industry Integration and Development** In line with the "Opinions of the People's Government of Hebei Province on Strengthening and Expanding Leading Agricultural Enterprises," this initiative focuses on leveraging the province’s unique agricultural resources and addressing critical weaknesses in the development of Hebei’s agricultural industry. It emphasizes advancing both primary and deep processing of agricultural products, promoting diversified product development, multi-level utilization, and value-added across multiple stages. This approach aims to elevate the integration of Hebei’s primary, secondary, and tertiary agricultural sectors, ensuring that the core players in the agricultural value chain remain rooted in rural areas, while maximizing the economic benefits—particularly those accruing directly to farmers. To achieve these goals, five key measures have been implemented: 1. **50 million yuan allocated to boost large-scale agricultural investment promotion**: Centered around hosting the Provincial Agricultural Processing Industry Development Conference, this initiative seeks to attract high-tech, high-quality, and highly impactful agricultural projects that drive innovation and modernization within Hebei’s agricultural processing sector. Additionally, 10 counties (cities, districts) recognized as outstanding performers in provincial agricultural investment promotion efforts will be honored and rewarded. 2. **93 million yuan earmarked for the Agricultural Processing Capacity Enhancement Project**: This funding supports small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises by providing interest subsidies for newly established projects in 2020 and 2021, thereby reducing financing costs and encouraging businesses to expand production capacity. The initiative also aims to foster the development of 11 robust agricultural processing industry clusters—each characterized by substantial scale, high concentration, strong regional influence, and fully integrated supply chains. Furthermore, it will support the construction of 36 centrally located townships with solid industrial foundations. 3. **32 million yuan allocated to the Agricultural Industry Chain Extension Project**: This funding focuses on cultivating one central kitchen industrial park and 20 exemplary central kitchen enterprises in the regions surrounding Beijing-Tianjin, Xiong’an, and major cities across Hebei. Additionally, two province-wide promotional events will be organized to showcase premium leisure agriculture routes, resulting in the annual unveiling of 15 standout leisure agriculture itineraries and the establishment of 30 "Beautiful Leisure Villages" across Hebei Province. --- **Brand Agriculture Development** Developing brand agriculture is positioned as a cornerstone of building specialized industrial clusters. By strengthening three critical components—design, promotion, and marketing—the initiative aims to cultivate a group of renowned "Hebei-branded" agricultural products, regional public brands, and enterprise-specific brands. This effort seeks to amplify the visibility and market competitiveness of Hebei’s branded agricultural offerings, with a particular focus on tapping into the lucrative Beijing-Tianjin markets to enhance product penetration and market share. In 2021, the program will systematically support the creation of a diverse portfolio of "Hebei Brands," including 100 high-end regional public brands and 50 leading enterprise brands.

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