A single grain of rice can hold a remarkable story of transformation. In Feixi County, Anhui Province, rice is processed into rice noodles, and the leftover broken grains—once destined for animal feed—are now brewed into red yeast rice wine, significantly boosting their value. The distiller's grains produced in the process can also be converted into organic fertilizer, raising the utilization rate of rice to 96%.
Meanwhile, in Licheng District, Jinan, Shandong Province, creative paddy field art has emerged from the soil, drawing numerous tourists eager to visit. These fields offer both scenic beauty and edible produce, with a single rice field painting connecting a diverse range of rural business models and promoting deep integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism. The key to developing rural industries lies in extending, strengthening, and supplementing the industrial chain.
A single grain of rice can link an entire value chain, where value enhancement comes from the systematic efforts of industrial integration. This illustrates that to build agriculture into a modern major industry, we must fully leverage the potential across the entire spectrum—from grain production to food consumption, from livestock breeding to meat processing, and from agricultural output to industrial manufacturing. Every step from beginning to end offers opportunities for wealth creation.
Breaking new ground requires bold innovation. In Lichuan City, Hubei Province, mini potatoes that were once overlooked are now transformed into popular snacks through a fully integrated production, processing, and sales chain—turning humble "clumps of earth" into "golden beans." To move beyond selling primary agricultural products, we must break free from conventional thinking and use deep processing to open new avenues for value addition. This process also demands accelerating improvements in cold-chain logistics, branding, and other infrastructure to shift from selling raw materials to selling finished products.
Deep processing of agricultural products cannot follow a one-size-fits-all approach; it must be tailored to local resource endowments and industrial foundations, pursuing differentiated and distinctive development paths. In the first half of this year, the added value of agricultural and sideline food processing industries above designated size grew by 4.8% year-on-year. The agricultural product processing industry can also be integrated with rural tourism, e-commerce, and other sectors to optimize the industrial chain through diverse business formats. Only through local adaptation and targeted policies can rural specialty industries accelerate their growth.
Providing solutions demands technological excellence. Technological innovation is becoming a powerful driver for deep processing of agricultural products. In Huanan County, Heilongjiang Province, local perilla industry development has been strengthened through enhanced technological support, building a full industrial chain encompassing germplasm innovation, green planting, deep processing, and brand marketing. This has led to the development of over 120 deep-processed products, including perilla oil, tea, and health supplements—shifting sales from by weight to by milligram. The powerful momentum released by new technologies opens up new space for value enhancement of agricultural products.
The key to technology empowerment lies in effective implementation, requiring the innovation chain to be embedded within the industrial chain. Since the start of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has supported the establishment of 40 new advantageous specialty industry clusters, 50 modern agricultural industrial parks, and 200 strong agricultural industry towns, creating platforms and highlands for modern agricultural development. By consolidating strength into chains and deeply integrating technology with industry, strengthening leading enterprises, supplementing chains, nurturing new business formats, and building brands, the momentum of rural industries continues to surge.
Delivering results hinges on keeping farmers at the forefront. The development dividends from expanding the agricultural product processing industry must benefit the farming community more extensively and fairly. In Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, the humble crayfish has become a major industry for enriching the people. The total output value of Xuyi's crayfish industry has surpassed 40 billion yuan, driving employment and income growth for one-sixth of the county's population, with 32.5% of rural residents' income derived from crayfish farming. Farmers have shifted from being "bystanders" to "participants" in the industrial chain, filling their pockets and making rural specialty industries more prosperous.
Improving mechanisms that link farmers to industry benefits ensures their "golden carrying poles" remain steady. To strengthen institutional safeguards for driving rural prosperity and sharing outcomes, we must continuously broaden channels for farmer participation in rural industries, guiding more farmers toward standardized production and industrialized operations. As new business models and benefit-sharing mechanisms take root, the agricultural industry chain continues to unlock new prospects for enriching communities. By fully executing the strategy of agricultural development across the entire spectrum, promoting coordinated growth in primary processing, deep processing, and by-product utilization, and improving mechanisms that connect industries with farmers, the vast fields of our countryside are sure to flourish with even greater vitality.