By Zhao Junchao, Research Department of Rural Economy, DRC

Research Report, No.128, 2021 (Total 6193) 2021-5-19

Abstract: As one of the rural industries with the largest volume and the highest degree of industrial relevance, agricultural product processing industry benefits most rural residents and plays a vital role in pushing ahead with China’s rural revitalization strategy and the modernization drive for agricultural sector and rural areas. In recent years, some typical agricultural counties have proactively implemented national policies by conducting innovative explorations with tailored measures on local conditions, which has accelerated the development of county-level agricultural product processing industry with sound achievements in cultivating advantageous industrial clusters, extending industrial value chains, enhancing agricultural structural adjustment and driving the employment and income for farmers. Meanwhile, however, there are still some problems calling for attention in the development of agricultural product processing industry, including the basic contradictions in land use, insufficient financial support, the pressures for needed talents from both the supply- and demand-sides, and the incompleteness, mismatching and disconnection between industries. In this regard, this paper has offered the following policy options. First, the existing experience from the successful exploration needs to be summarized and promoted in line with the basic ideas of “optimizing the county-level industrial layout and establishing a complete industrial chains”. Second, further efforts are needed in the future to strengthen the support of key elements and the weak links so as to push ahead with the sustainable and in-depth development of county-level agricultural product processing industry.

Keywords: country level, agricultural product processing industry, rural revitalization