On January 15, a special press conference of the first session of the Sixth Chongqing Municipal People's Congress was held on the "Implementation of Rural Revitalization Accountability Mechanism and Promotion of Strategic Actions for Rural Revitalization." Three deputies to the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress and heads of the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Rural Revitalization shared their ideas and suggestions on this topic.
The press conference about "Implementation of Rural Revitalization Accountability Mechanism and Promotion of Strategic Actions for Rural Revitalization" was held on January 15, 2023, during the Chongqing Two Sessions. (Photo/Shi Tao)
According to Zhang Guozhong, deputy to the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress and secretary of the Communist Party of China Fengdu County Committee, Fengdu is located in a major agricultural region near the Three Gorges Reservoir. Also, with its emphasis on beef cattle, preserved vegetables, and chicken, Fengdu has built an industrial system designed to produce "one main product, two auxiliary products, and several distinctive products."
Currently, Fengdu County has developed 727 "new farmers" and encouraged 22,000 households (78,000 people) to cooperate with 30 rural collective economic organizations.
Liu Guizhong, secretary of the leading Party members group and director of the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Rural Revitalization, said that rural revitalization is a systematic project involving five aspects: industry, talent, culture, ecology, and organization. There should be a focus on "distinctive rural industries" and rapid rural development, and the promotion of the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries should be a priority.
Zhang Yafei, deputy to the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress and secretary of the CPC Zouma Town Committee, noted, "As a town located in the Chongqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone of Western (Chongqing) Science City, Zouma Town has made targeted efforts in recent years to boost high-quality and efficient agriculture, build livable and business-friendly villages, and help farmers become well-off, based on its reality."
Zouma Town outlined "three key tasks" to build an ecologically livable and aesthetically pleasing countryside. The first step is to build demonstration sites for ecological rural complexes and catalyze village planning. The second step is to take stronger measures in order to develop rural infrastructure. The third step is to promote the improvement of rural living conditions and the treatment of household waste in rural areas.
At the same time, Zouma Town kept cultivating new farmers. The town employed 10 agricultural experts from the Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences for in-depth guidance, opened 20 field classes yearly, and cultivated 100 rural managers and planting and breeding experts.
Wen Hongjing, deputy to Chongqing Municipal People's Congress and secretary of the Party branch, and head of the villagers' committee of Heyan Village, Longhe Town, Changshou District, said that two years ago, she started her business outside the village and made a handsome profit. Yet, persuaded by the Party Committee of Longhe Town, the post-90s girl finally returned to Heyan Village.
Heyan Village's pillar industry is late-maturing citrus growing, with a total area of about 306.7 hectares. According to Wen, the introduction of agricultural enterprises by the village has turned people's lands into assets that can make money. More than that, villagers could also find jobs nearby. For example, energetic and experienced young people work as orchard managers; villagers skilled at farm work become orchard maintenance staff; the healthy elderly are employed as seasonal laborers. In a word, the villagers are prospering.
According to Wen, Heyan Village has made great efforts to attract high-quality businesses. Over the past two years, three agricultural enterprises have been introduced successively, and the traditional planting industry has gradually been digitizedAdditionally, Heyan Village took full advantage of the role as primary-level officials and deputies in the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, devoted to serving enterprises' development.