The harvest scene of cold-season vegetables for Hong Kong (export) supply in Hajia Village, Zongbao Township, Minhe County. Photo by correspondent Shi Yanshou. The primary processing line for rainbow trout at Longyang Zhixian. Photo by reporter Yang Yanling. The Kunguo Steamed Bun workshop. Photo by correspondent Jiang Daoming. Photo by reporter Wang Zhen. The highland barley in the Hehuang Valley turns golden with waves, yaks by Qinghai Lake grow strong and sturdy, and cold-season vegetables from the banks of the Huangshui River are transported across the country via cold chain logistics—by 2025, Qinghai's agricultural and pastoral economy, characterized by a stable foundation, progressive momentum, and optimized drivers, has delivered an answer sheet showcasing the symbiotic win-win of ecology and economy.
As a crucial national ecological security barrier and a production base for green and organic agricultural and livestock products, Qinghai has focused on "two continuities, three growth areas, and four key efforts." By enhancing production capacity through improved seeds, methods, and technology, increasing farmer income through linkage mechanisms, and expanding markets through brand empowerment, the plateau's distinctive agriculture and animal husbandry sector has not only safeguarded national priorities but also filled the pockets of farmers and herders. Data shows that in 2025, the province's total grain output exceeded 1.19 million tons, the scale of employed individuals from formerly impoverished populations surpassed 240,000, and the output momentum of "Qinghai-brand" products like yak meat, mutton, goji berries, cold-season vegetables, and cold-water fish remained robust.
Since 2025, the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has coordinated efforts across agricultural, rural development, and rural revitalization tasks. The construction of the green and organic agricultural and livestock product output base has seen improvements in quality and efficiency, achievements in poverty alleviation have been further consolidated, the 14th Five-Year Plan concluded successfully, and the rural economy has demonstrated a positive trend of steady progress and improvement.
In 2025, Qinghai's grain production overcame initial mild drought pressures to deliver impressive results: grain sowing area reached 459,220 mu (approximately 30,610 hectares), and oilseed area reached 227,100 mu (approximately 15,140 hectares), exceeding annual targets by 3.2% and 2.3% respectively. Total grain and oil yields reached over 1.19 million tons and 350,000 tons respectively, achieving stable summer grain production and a full autumn harvest. This stable performance is a vivid demonstration of the "storing grain in the land and technology" strategy, highlighting the endogenous momentum driving quality and efficiency improvements in plateau agriculture.
During the golden autumn, good news frequently came from the highland barley fields in Menyuan Hui Autonomous County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The newly promoted "Beiqing No. 15" variety, leveraging modern agricultural techniques like no-till seeding, seed coating, and drone spraying, combined with an innovative segmented drying and harvesting model, achieved a record high yield—the highest per-mu yield exceeded 500 kilograms, with an average per-mu yield reaching 440 kilograms. Due to its strong stress resistance and superior quality, the market purchase price for this variety is 15% higher than similar varieties, increasing farmers' income by approximately 300 yuan per mu, making it a "golden key" for enhancing the quality and efficiency of the highland barley industry.
While Menyuan empowered agriculture with "technology," Tianjiasai Town in Huangzhong District, Xining, built a foundation through the "land." Formerly "three-runoff fields" that lost water, fertilizer, and soil have been transformed through high-standard farmland "slope-to-terrace" projects into "three-conservation fields" that retain water, fertilizer, and soil. This not only curbs soil erosion but also strengthens the foundation for grain production. "The terraces hold water and fertilizer well, the oat yield increased by 50 kilograms per mu, and the quality is better too," said large-scale grain grower Ma Youxiang with a smile. Supporting field roads have made mechanized farming more efficient, allowing him to expand his planting area to 66.67 hectares and sign long-term orders with enterprises from Henan province.
"Storing grain in the land" solidifies the basic production conditions, while "storing grain in technology" activates new engines for increasing yield and income. From the rising data points, it is evident that policy measures at the provincial level have built an economic support system for food security. In 2025, Qinghai created yield-enhancement counties, developed 86,500 hectares of green, high-yield, and efficient farmland, and advanced agricultural socialized托管 services covering 36,400 hectares. This resulted in coverage rates of improved varieties and key promoted technologies reaching 98.2% and over 95% respectively, using scale effects to reduce costs and enhance benefits. The construction of 23,100 hectares of high-standard farmland (the largest scale in five years), accelerated through a "100-day攻坚" campaign, further released land productivity dividends, laying the foundation for large-scale and intensive agricultural operations.
From variety improvement to farmland upgrading, from technological empowerment to policy support, Qinghai has used systematic measures to overcome development bottlenecks in plateau agriculture. This approach not only safeguards the bottom line of food security but also enhances the added value of the agricultural economy through industrial chain extension and business model innovation, providing robust support for consecutive bumper harvests.
Promoting industrial development and stable employment is fundamental to the prosperity of rural areas. Inside the Haiya Kunguo Steamed Bun industrial base in You'ai Village, Shangwuzhuang Town, Huangzhong District, Xining City, worker Ma Ping is deftly packing freshly steamed buns. This once locally sold specialty, reliant on scattered offline sales, now rides the wave of e-commerce to reach markets across the country. While the industry thrives, it has also revitalized local labor resources. By linking farmers and promoting income growth through "traditional craftsmanship + modern marketing," Qinghai Haiya Food Co., Ltd. prioritizes employing nearby left-behind women, individuals lifted from poverty, and laborers from disadvantaged families. Roles span dough mixing, baking, packaging, live-streaming, and more, helping employees "balance work and family care."
"A monthly salary of 4000 yuan, working right near home, earning money while taking care of the family—I'm full of energy every day at work!" Ma Ping's words reflect the sentiments of many villagers. Stable local employment, coupled with increasingly improved rural living conditions, acts as a booster for the vitality of rural women like her. Strengthening leading enterprises, supplementing industrial chains, developing new business formats, and enriching fellow villagers—a new pattern of rural revitalization characterized by "enterprise leadership, industrial empowerment, and群众增收" is blossoming across Qinghai, bearing abundant fruit.
Where is the increased "vitality" in rural development reflected? It is reflected in the continuously upgraded living environment. Focusing on 297 centralized relocation settlements, local authorities integrated funds of 130 million yuan to implement 24 infrastructure and public service projects, steadily raising the level of livelihood security. Where is the increased "prosperity" of rural life reflected? It is reflected in the work of farmers building a moderately prosperous society through industrial employment. Integrated funds of 52.693 million yuan were deployed for 24 industrial projects, driving 11,000 people to increase their income through business participation or employment. Utilizing East-West collaboration funds, 215 assistance projects were advanced, 23 enterprises were introduced with investments reaching 4.87 billion yuan, consumption assistance amounted to 573 million yuan, and labor cooperation facilitated employment for 2,964 people, showing significant improvement over previous years.
Empowered by industry, the annual employment scale for relocated populations reached 55,700 people, completing 129.7% of the target, achieving employment for at least one person per household with labor capacity among relocated families. Data shows that in 2025, the province's employed population lifted from poverty reached 244,300, fulfilling 136.4% of the annual target. More and more farmers and herders are gaining a firm foothold within the industrial chain, harvesting stable happiness.
In late December 2025, accompanied by the long whistle of a train, yak meat products from Qinghai Qiaomujiema Industrial Co., Ltd., a key agricultural and livestock processing enterprise in Xining, were dispatched to Macao. After the initial shipment, stable weekly supplies of 2 to 3 tons are planned. Previously, this company was the first and only one in Qinghai with formal channels and procedures to supply the Hong Kong market in bulk. "Our yak meat is certified by the Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre (STC) and is well-recognized in the Hong Kong market," said Liu Wei, the company's chairman. He noted that besides stable orders from Hong Kong and Macao, many catering and supermarket chains from other provinces have shown interest. The international influence of the Hong Kong market is expected to open doors to more international markets for the company.
Starting from a workshop in the Dahua Industrial Park in Huangyuan, Qiaomujiema transformed in less than a year from a local processor into a "regular supplier" for the Hong Kong market. The company's thriving business is a direct result of Qinghai's efforts in building its green and organic agricultural and livestock product brand. In 2025, Qinghai anchored its goals on "improving quality and efficiency in output base construction," pushing agricultural products from "grown well" to "sold well": 117 new green food and organic agricultural products were added, certified organic grassland area reached 450 million mu, achieving the nation's first full organic monitoring coverage of usable grasslands; promotion events were held in Shanghai, Shandong, and elsewhere, facilitating the entry of hundreds of products across 8 categories into central state-owned enterprise e-commerce platforms; 26 dedicated supply bases and experience stores were established outside the province, generating sales of 1.085 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%; leveraging the "Hong Kong STC Qinghai Laboratory" achieved mutual recognition of testing and certification between Qinghai and Hong Kong, enabling 59 products to successfully enter the Hong Kong and Macao markets, with historic breakthroughs in exports of cold-season vegetables and cold-water fish.
Behind the rising brand fame lies the deep empowerment of green development理念. Qinghai has persistently worked on strengthening foundations, extending chains, adjusting structures, and building brands, vigorously cultivating high-quality agricultural and livestock products. Within the year, 37 new名特优新农产品 were added, one new national green food raw material standardized production base was established, and applications were submitted for 6 national organic agricultural product bases. A set of impressive data attests to the development成效: During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the province cumulatively output 4.3077 million tons of green and organic agricultural and livestock products, valued at 67.812 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 40%; a 5000-mu standardized goji berry production base was built, with fresh goji berry sales in Q3 2025 reaching 1,150 tons, an increase of 400 tons over the previous year.
From the highland pastures to dining tables in Hong Kong and Macao, and onto broader international markets, Qinghai's green and organic agricultural and livestock products are becoming a shining高原名片, leveraging the dual advantages of "ecology + quality" to write a new chapter of industrial quality improvement, efficiency gains, and increased income for farmers and herders.
From safeguarding the "rice bag" to filling the "money bag," from deepening the "responsibility field" to exploring the "global market," Qinghai's agricultural and pastoral economy in 2025 has found a new path balancing ecological protection and economic development. In the future, with the continuous advancement of seed industry revitalization, industrial integration, and brand upgrading, Qinghai will continue to use high-quality development of agriculture and animal husbandry as its brush, painting an even more beautiful picture of comprehensive rural revitalization on the snowy plateau.