By Ye Xingqing, Research Team on “Strategic Adjustments of Agriculture in the Context of High-Level Opening-up”, Research Department of Rural Economy, DRC

Research Report, No. 79, 2020 (Total 5823) 2020-4-15

Abstract: In face of the changes of economic and trade rules and industrial advantages in the course of high-level opening-up, it is necessary for us to make strategic adjustments to agriculture in China. We need to make structure adjustments of different kinds of agricultural products and ensure the establishment of functional zones for grain production and protective areas for the production of major agricultural products. We need to appropriately determine the range of sensitive agricultural products and encourage different regions to give play to their comparative advantages in agriculture. We need to sharpen agricultural competitive edge, bring into play the advantages of science and technology and channel more input into infrastructure facilities. We need to have our eyes on the main factors causing the rapid increase in the production cost of agricultural products in China, take targeted measures to address the issue and make more efforts to improve the quality and characteristics of the products. We need to flesh out the agricultural support and protection system in line with the guideline of “combining Yellow Box Policy and Blue Box Policy while focusing on Green Box Policy”, and make structural adjustments to the domestic support measures for border production protection and trade distortion in line with “Green Box Policy” measures. We need to expand the import of agricultural products in a multiple, balanced and controllable manner and further clarify the priority of varieties and countries of origin relating to imported products. We need to take a pragmatic, cautious and rule-based stance and expand overseas agricultural investment, increase investment in key fields of the industrial chain and give full play to the principal role of enterprises.

Key words: agriculture, structural adjustments, opening-up