During the national two sessions this year, the topic of food security was mentioned again. The government work report proposes to vigorously grasp agricultural production and promote the all-round revitalization of rural areas. We will improve and strengthen agricultural support policies, continue to promote the development of poverty-stricken areas, and promote bumper agricultural harvests and increase farmers’ income. Accelerate the revitalization of the seed industry, strengthen the research, popularization and application of agricultural science and technology, and improve the level of agricultural machinery and equipment.
On March 10, Zhu Youyong, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and academician of the Chinese Academy of engineering, received an exclusive interview with the shell finance reporter of the Beijing News on topics such as food security, tackling key problems in agricultural science and technology, revitalizing the seed industry, and “choking” technology.
Zhu Youyong said that a disruptive technology has been developed to enable rice to be planted on dry land, which is expected to solve the problem of food rations for farmers in mountainous areas; At the same time, the contradiction between economy and food security can be better solved through the intercropping of food crops and cash crops; In addition, we should strengthen the innovation and utilization of seed industry and vigorously develop varieties cultivated in China. Now, the state has done a lot of work on the reform of the scientific research system, so that scientists can feel at ease in scientific research. Young students are welcome to explore and tackle key scientific problems and contribute to mankind.
protect food security through the technology of rice planting in dry land and the intercropping technology of grain cash crops
Beijing News shell finance : you have always been concerned about food security. Can you give an example and how to ensure food security?
Zhu Youyong : a motion I put forward during the two sessions is related to ensuring food security. In the mountainous areas of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan, there are no fields, only land and no water. Farmers in these areas must buy rations in the market, and their food security is in great crisis. We have developed a subversive new technology that can plant rice on dry land. It solves the problem that rice can only be planted in water for thousands of years. That is, rice planted on dry land can produce tillers like in water and improve yield. The rice planted in this way has the same yield as the rice planted in paddy field, with slightly improved quality and stronger flavor.
The technology of “going up the mountain” of rice has changed the traditional concept that rice must be planted in water. It can turn the dry land on the mountain into rice field. In the past, only “dry grain” such as corn can be planted, but now it can be turned into rice, so as to ensure farmers’ rations and food security.
Of course, there are also conditions for this technology, that is, the average annual rainfall should exceed 1000 mm, which means that there is no problem in using this technology in Yunnan and Guizhou, but it can not be done in arid and semi-arid areas with only 400500 mm rainfall.
Beijing News shell finance : this year’s government work report mentioned Rural Revitalization and also proposed “to support all localities to increase investment in science and technology and carry out regional innovation with their own characteristics”. How does science and technology help rural revitalization? What experience do you have in this regard?
Zhu Youyong : at present, China has both main grain producing areas and balanced production and marketing areas. Most of the southwest regions such as Yunnan and Guizhou are balanced production and marketing areas and do not export grain. At the same time, these areas are often areas with a large poverty surface. Although many places have been lifted out of poverty, if characteristic industries are not developed, there may be a large-scale return to poverty, and Rural Revitalization will not be done well.
Therefore, while ensuring food security, we must vigorously develop characteristic agriculture. In some areas of Yunnan, the income from planting corn and rice is small. Without planting vegetables, flowers, fruits and other characteristic cash crops, farmers will have no income; But at the same time, there is a contradiction between developing characteristic agriculture and ensuring food security. This problem can only be solved through the coordinated development of food crops and cash crops.
Some of the work we are doing now is related to this. Yunnan and Guizhou are major tobacco growing provinces, and tobacco is a cash crop. If you plant a season of corn or potato after tobacco harvest, you can turn one crop into two crops in a production season. Specifically, at the end of July, when the last leaf of tobacco is harvested, we start sowing corn. The corn can mature in three months and be harvested in early October or the end of October.
Originally, we only planted tobacco in summer. Now we can interplant corn, so that we can turn one mu of tobacco land into one mu of grain land. In recent years, we have made a demonstration in Chuxiong, which does not affect the yield and quality of tobacco. At the same time, we have produced about 300 kilograms of corn per mu, which has realized the systematic development of grain and cash crops.
Beijing News shell finance : the government work report also proposes to accelerate the revitalization of the seed industry. What is the importance of the seed industry? How to revitalize the seed industry?
Zhu Youyong : the corn mentioned in my last answer is the research result of seed industry. Generally, the growth cycle of corn takes 5 months, while the short growth period variety cultivated by Professor Ji Yunzuo of Yunnan Agricultural University is used for Tobacco Intercropping Corn. The growth cycle of this variety is within 3 months and can be harvested in 85 days at the shortest. This is seed industry innovation. When dealing with some emergency disasters, these new varieties of seeds can play a great role.
Now, there are more than 4 million mu of tobacco land in Yunnan, nearly 3 million mu in Guizhou and more than 2 million mu in Sichuan. If there is a problem with food security, we can plant corn immediately after we harvest tobacco. This is called grain hiding in technology. Of course, the premise is that there must be seeds of this variety. Therefore, the government must reserve seeds and seed sources when storing grain. We can store some special seeds as grain. If unforeseen circumstances occur, we can produce grain in a short time to ensure the safety of Lbx Pharmacy Chain Joint Stock Company(603883) ‘s rations.
The \ policy liberalization allows scientists to engage in scientific research
Beijing News shell finance : at present, many fields such as manufacturing and materials science are “stuck”, and in seed industry, agronomy and other fields, is China “stuck”?
Zhu Youyong : the neck is stuck, but the neck is “invisible”. There is still a lot of room for the development of germplasm resources in China, such as flowers, traditional Chinese medicine, fruit trees and vegetables. We should establish an agricultural biodiversity germplasm resource bank, which is of great significance to the development of characteristic agricultural industry.
Beijing News shell finance : this year’s government work report also proposed to implement the three-year plan for tackling key problems in the reform of the scientific and technological system. In your opinion, what problems exist in China’s current scientific research environment and scientific and technological system and what reforms are needed?
Zhu Youyong : now, the state has done a lot of work in the reform of scientific research system. There are several obvious features. First, the procedures are reduced. For example, the original project budget has many columns and very detailed contents, resulting in that sometimes the report of the scientific research part is not as thick as the budget report. Because the scientific researchers are not professional financial personnel, many scientific researchers are unwilling to apply for the project.
Second, the “lump sum system” is implemented for the use of project funds, and the hosts and units have a lot of autonomy. In the past, the management method was “the money to buy soy sauce can’t buy vinegar, and the money to buy vinegar can’t buy salt”. After calculating the budget of a certain piece, it must be carried out according to the calculated content. However, there are many changes in scientific research at any time, which can not be budgeted from the beginning to three years later. Now, scientists and project leaders have the right to allocate their own scientific research funds, which can be used to buy equipment, engage in research or promote locally. The policies on science and technology have been gradually liberalized. Although some units have not fully implemented them, they are generally developing in this direction, which allows scientists to calm down and do scientific research well, rather than spending time on accounting and budgeting. In remote areas such as Yunnan and Guizhou, local governments have also issued very good policies. The government will allocate funds for academicians and scientific and technological leaders to take the lead in combination with the actual production and international cutting-edge, and to explore freely. Such a policy can let scientists and researchers loose their hands and feet and stimulate their enthusiasm.
Beijing News shell finance : can you talk about scientific research in combination with your experience? What are your messages and suggestions for young people who are determined to engage in scientific research, especially in biology, agronomy and other fields?
Zhu Youyong : agriculture is a very broad world, involving food, clothing, housing and transportation. Human development needs food and clothing at any time. Agriculture is the most basic industry for social development. As long as there are human beings, this industry will exist. I hope more young friends and students will join this industry and create more innovation for this industry, because this industry needs development and scientific and technological innovation.
Now, agriculture is not facing the Loess and back to the sky as it used to be. Mechanization, intelligence and informatization have been realized everywhere. The benefits of many agricultural industries are also very high. For example, the vegetables we eat used to cost a few cents a kilogram, but now a few dollars a kilogram. Compared with industrialized household appliances, the price rise is much higher. Therefore, as long as human beings exist, agriculture will develop step by step to high quality, and there is a lot of space.
Young students, young scientific and technological workers, welcome you to face agriculture, the vast world and the green waters and mountains. There are many scientific and technological innovations, as well as many scientific problems and opportunities. More young people are needed to explore and tackle key problems, so as to make greater contributions to mankind. It’s hard to do agriculture, but remember to stick to it. Persistence is victory.
