In 2013, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance arranged 110.5 billion yuan special transfer funding, a year-on-year increase of 2.5 billion yuan, to four areas of promoting production and securing provision.
1. Production subsidy policy In 2013 the production-style policy project received 72.75 billion yuan, including 21.75 billion yuan agro machines, which was given to the farmers, subsidy for 5.68 million machines that benefited 3.786 million households, promoted the crop farming mechanization level to 59.5 percent, a 2.3 percent-point increase year-on-year. Eleven provinces have conducted agro machine updating and energy saving, eliminating 15,000 old machines. Concerning the management, the ministry has actively promoted subsidy mechanism innovation, by widely conducting "full-price purchasing, county-level settlement, direct subsidy to card" pilot plan, opening subsidy information online column, combating illegal products and companies, so as to make sure that the subsidy policy is scientific, highly efficient, standardized, and clean.
The quality crop seed subsidy was 22.6 billion yuan, with the varieties covering 10 major crops such as rice, wheat and corn. The livestock breed subsidy was 1.2 billion yuan, which covered 30.27 million livestock of 4 breeds, including pigs, cows, cattle and sheep. The fishing and diesel subsidies were 26.24 billion yuan, as the off-shore and in-land fishing boats, ocean fishing boats, HK-Macau fishing boats have received price reform subsidy, so as to play an important role in cutting fishing cost, increasing fishermen's income, securing fishing areas' stability, implementing the "double-control" target of fishing boats, and promoting the development of ocean fishing industry. Besides, to meet the impact of H7N9 cases to the poultry industry, the ministry has issued 600 million yuan for chicken raising subsidy and that of poultry raising and processing companies' loan with discounted interest, so as to help the companies overcome the difficulties and promote the sound development of poultry industry.
2. Scientific service supporting policy In 2013 the fund for scientific service supporting policy was 10.3 billion yuan, including 2 billion yuan for rice, cotton, oil and sugar high-production. 12,500 high-production demonstration areas of 10,000 mu have been established, renovation pilot has been promoted in 500 townships of 50 counties of 5 cities. The mature technology formed during the pilot project has been updated to regional and standardized production-raising technical model, which could be promoted in wider scale so as to further explore the production raising potentials. 1.7 billion yuan has been arranged to support the "vegetable basket" production special project, which has been used to create 1,000 standard gardens of horticultural crops, 2,067 livestock raising standard demonstration areas, 756 aquatic raising standard areas, so as to promote the "Vegetable basket" products' standard production, and raise their quantity and quality.
Eight northern cities have initiated winter vegetables development pilot project, as 1,000 hectares of energy-saving solar greenhouses have been established, 787 of which has been put into use. 2.6 billion yuan has been given to grassroots agro technical promotion system as construction subsidy, which, according to the No. 1 policy document's requirements, has covered all the agro counties, improved the grassroots' public service capabilities, and mobilized the grassroots' technicians to go to the villages to conduct technical service. 1.5 billion yuan has been given to soil-testing formulated fertilization and soil organic matter.
The technicians have provided such service for 190 million farming households for free, covering 93.333 million hectares, with 9 million tons of soil-testing formulated fertilizers used in 40 million hectares of land. 1.1 billion yuan has been given to farmer training classes; 11.2 billion farmers have been trained in such areas as new-type agro production's operative parties. 1.323 billion yuan has been given to construct the modern agro industry technology system, as chief scientist, in-post scientists, and leaders of comprehensive experimental stations from 50 ago products system have been given basic R& D subsidy, so as to form the agro product's industrial technical supporting system linking production and consumption, R& D and market, with the aim of serving the country.
3. Disaster prevention and relief supporting system In 2013, 10.78 billion yuan has been arranged to disaster prevention and relief projects, including 6.05 billion yuan of key technique subsidy for agro disaster prevention and relief, which has realized full coverage of winter wheat's main producing areas for their chemical spray technology against pests, dry hot wind and lodging; promoted dry farming technique of mulching film in dray areas of northern and northwestern provinces; conducted subsidies of "comprehensive fertilization for early ripe" and "restoration of agro production after major natural disasters" in northeastern and southern rice-producing provinces, so as to promoted coordinated specialized prevention and control of agro crop's pests.
These technologies have played an important role in preventing regional natural disasters, and timely saving the losses of the disasters. 4.73 billion yuan has been arranged to prevent animal epidemics as compulsory epidemic-prevention subsidy for major illnesses, such as the culling of animals with FMD. The money has also been used to subsidize the village-level animal quarantine staff's work and the bio-safety treatment of dead pigs in scale farms. The central government has given special fund to subsidize the orderly organization of animal pest prevention, which has prevented the happening of regional major animal epidemics in the country.
4. Ecological and resource protection policy In 2013, 16.67 billion yuan has been given as ecological and resource protection projects, including 15.97 billion yuan grassland ecological protection award, which has been used in 13 provinces, Xinjiang and Heilongjiang, to prohibit grazing in 82.2 million hectares of grassland; to balance the grass and livestock in 133.73 million hectares of land; to grow grass in 8.4 million hectares of land; to improve the livelihood of 2.84 million households; to enhance industry nurturing and supporting, and to promote the husbandry industry's production transformation.
These have increased the farmers and herdsmen's income, realized the improvement of grassland ecology, and achieved the goals that grazing prohibition and husbandry reduction won't affect mean harvest and farmers' income. 400 million yuan has been used to promote the job transfer of fishermen and the protection of fishing resources. 1.007 billion yuan has been used to motivate governments of all levels to conduct artificial propagation and releasing of fish, including 33.65 billion endangered fish and important aquatic larva, a 9.4 percent year-on-year increase, so as to effectively promote the fishing resource restoration. 300 million yuan has been used to control and prevent the heavy metal pollution in the origins of agro products. Investigations have been conducted in 7.53 million hectares of heavily polluted areas, and long-term located monitoring will be expected.
