China has unveiled an ambitious five-year strategy to advance agricultural and rural modernization from 2026 to 2030, with a primary focus on bolstering food security, enhancing agricultural productivity, and uplifting rural living standards. The State Council’s comprehensive plan aims to align with the nation’s broader modernization objectives by prioritizing the quality and competitiveness of the agricultural sector and consolidating previous gains in poverty alleviation.
A central goal of the plan is to elevate China’s grain production capacity to around 725 million tonnes by 2030. Additionally, maintaining a high standard of agricultural product quality is key, with a target pass rate of at least 98 percent for routine safety inspections. The strategy also targets improvements in meat production, green agricultural practices, rural sewage management, technological advancements, and income growth for farmers.
The plan emphasizes the importance of quality and efficiency in agricultural production, ensuring stable supplies of essential food products to meet the increasing consumer demand for healthier and higher-quality options. It seeks to transform agriculture into a more advanced and sustainable industry while promoting balanced urban and rural development. This includes bolstering agricultural science and technology, expanding modern farming techniques, and increasing farmers’ incomes.
Key initiatives include the development of high-standard farmland, enhancement of agricultural research and innovation, improvement of cold-chain logistics infrastructure, and the adoption of artificial intelligence in agriculture. The government is also focused on modernizing agricultural product processing and advocating for environmentally friendly farming methods. Emerging sectors such as intelligent breeding technologies, new-energy agricultural machinery, low-altitude agricultural applications, agricultural bio-manufacturing, and innovative food production are set to receive further support.
This strategic plan builds on recent advances in the agricultural sector. By 2025, China’s grain output had reached nearly 715 million tonnes, maintaining production above 700 million tonnes for the second consecutive year. Scientific and technological progress has significantly contributed to this growth, accounting for over 64 percent of agricultural development. The country aims to increase this contribution to 67 percent by 2030, underscoring the pivotal role of technology in driving agricultural progress.