A single grain of rice holds a remarkable story of transformation, where once-discarded materials are finding new and profitable purposes. In Feixi County, Anhui Province, leftover broken rice from processing rice into noodles, previously destined for animal feed, is now being brewed into a premium red yeast rice wine, significantly boosting its value. The distillers' grains produced in this process can also be turned into organic fertilizer, pushing the overall utilization rate of rice to an impressive 96%.
Meanwhile, in Licheng District, Jinan, Shandong Province, creative rice paddy art is emerging directly from the soil, drawing crowds of tourists eager to experience this unique landscape. These fields serve a dual purpose, offering both scenic beauty and a food source, while connecting a variety of rural business activities and fostering a deep integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism. The key to developing rural industries lies in extending, strengthening, and reinforcing the industrial chain, as a single grain of rice initiates an entire value chain, with the increase in worth coming from the systematic power of industrial integration. This illustrates that to build modern agriculture, we must fully leverage the potential of the entire production cycle, from raw materials to finished products, seeing every stage as an opportunity to generate wealth.
Where to begin? The answer lies in forging new paths. In Lichuan City, Hubei Province, tiny potatoes that were once ignored have been transformed into a popular snack through a complete overhaul of the production, processing, and sales chain, turning these humble "clods of earth" into "golden beans." To break free from the model of selling primary products, we must abandon conventional thinking and open up new avenues for value addition through intensive processing. This process also requires accelerated efforts to address weaknesses in cold-chain logistics and branding, making the leap from simply selling raw materials to selling finished goods.
The intensive processing of agricultural products cannot follow a one-size-fits-all approach. It must be based on local resource endowments and industrial foundations to carve out a path of differentiated and distinctive development. In the first half of this year, the added value of the national agricultural and sideline food processing industry above a designated size grew by 4.8% year-on-year. This sector can be effectively integrated with rural tourism and e-commerce to optimize the industrial chain through diverse business models. By adapting measures to local conditions and implementing precise policies, rural specialty industries can accelerate their growth.
How do we resolve the core challenge? It is a contest of technological superiority, as scientific and technological innovation becomes a powerful engine for the intensive processing of agricultural products. Huanan County in Heilongjiang Province, leveraging its local perilla seed industry, has strengthened its technological foundation. They have constructed a complete industrial chain covering seed innovation, green planting, intensive processing, and brand marketing. This has led to the development of over 120 intensive-processed products, including perilla oil, tea, and health supplements, with the price moving from being sold by the kilogram to being sold by the milligram. The immense power of new technology is creating fresh space for value enhancement of agricultural products. The key to this technological empowerment is effective implementation, which means building the innovation chain directly onto the industrial chain.
This year alone, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has supported the creation of 40 new advantageous specialty industry clusters, 50 modern agricultural industrial parks, and 200 strong agricultural industry towns. These initiatives are designed to build modern agricultural development platforms and highlands of industrial excellence. By gathering strength to form integrated clusters, and deeply merging technology with industry, we can strengthen leading enterprises, complete the industrial chain, foster new business formats, and build strong brands, making the momentum of rural industries more dynamic than ever.
What is the ultimate measure of success? The true answer lies in putting farmers first. The development dividends of a strong agricultural product processing industry must be shared more broadly and fairly with farmers. In Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, the humble crayfish has grown into a major industry that enriches the local population. With a total industrial output value exceeding 40 billion yuan, the Xuyi crayfish industry drives employment and income growth for one-sixth of the county's population, and 32.5% of the income for rural residents in Xuyi comes from crayfish. Farmers are shifting from being mere "bystanders" in the industrial chain to active "participants," filling their wallets and ensuring the prosperity of rural specialty industries. By improving the mechanisms that connect farmers with industries and ensuring their benefits, the "golden carrying pole" of the people will become more stable.
To strengthen the institutional safeguards for wealth creation and benefit sharing, it's crucial to continually broaden the channels for farmers to participate in rural industries. This involves guiding more farmers to adopt standardized production methods and engage in industrialized operations. As various new business models and interest-linking mechanisms take root, the agricultural industry chain is continually unveiling new blueprints for enriching the people. By effectively executing the comprehensive strategy for the entire agricultural cycle, promoting the coordinated development of primary, intensive, and by-product processing, and refining the mechanisms that connect industries with farmer prosperity, the vast fields of the countryside will become increasingly vibrant.