It was reported from the national working conference on the building of bases for standardized production of raw materials of green food, held in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, August 19, 2011, that there had been 479 such bases built in 340 counties across the country. These bases covered an area of over 110 million mu (or 7.3 million ha), produced 65.47 million tons of raw materials each year, built links with 1256 flagship businesses, stimulated 16.86 million rural households and increased farmers’ income by 840 million yuan annually. In a random check in 2010, all products of the bases reached the quality standards.
In his speech, Ma Aiguo, Director General for Quality Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), said that the MOA officially launched pilot projects on the building of large-scale bases for standardized production of raw materials of green food throughout the country in 2005, with a view of making full use of existing features and advantages to amplify the brand effect of green food, making green food brands better serve the development of agriculture and rural economy, including the public among beneficiaries of green food projects and gradually substituting the development strategy of “industrial advancement and extension” for the previous development pattern dominated by certification of products.
Over the past seven years of efficient and down-to-earth efforts of green food units at all levels, a progressive pattern of the whole industry has taken shape; the bases for standardized production of raw materials of green food has become an engine of the standardized farm production; and a new trail has been blazed featuring higher level of quality and safety of agro-products and more agricultural benefits achieved through standardization that is in turn stimulated by brand cultivation.
A new industrial development pattern, which regardes the brand as a bond, the business as a dominant entity, the base as a carrier and the rural household as the basic element, has become a crucial step to improve agricultural industrialization, since it has created an effective link between base building and product certification as well as between flagship enterprises and households attending to the bases, strengthened the mechanism connecting the benefits of both enterprises and those households, and improved and stabilized the relations between rural households and enterprises.
The development pattern that focuses on safe and fine-quality agro-products and depends on green food brands as the bond and flagship businesses as the carrier has effectively linked “small-scale production” with the “large market”, the standardization with brand cultivation and the quality & safety of agro-products with income increase of farmers, and has given full play to the effect of cheap and high-quality products in the market, thus having greatly improved agricultural productivity and increased the income of farmers.
The clean production way, featuring environmental protection, unified prevention and control, science-based application of fertilizers and proper use of farm chemicals, has effectively protected and improved the eco-system for agricultural production and achieved harmony between economic, social and ecological benefits.