Yu County in Zhangjiakou, renowned as the "Hometown of Chinese Millet," leverages its millennia-old agricultural heritage and unique natural resources to spearhead reforms that integrate business environment enhancement with industrial upgrading. Centered on the millet industry, these efforts align with Hebei Province's strategy for high-quality development of specialized industrial clusters, injecting robust momentum into the county's economic leap forward.

**Precision Services Break Barriers, Approval Reforms Deliver Results** Yu County has established a comprehensive service chain tailored to enterprise needs. By conducting a millet industry resource survey to create a demand white paper and developing a supply-demand matching platform, the county has effectively addressed resource allocation challenges. Upgrades to the enterprise service center, dedicated industry service teams, and on-site research support further optimize the "Yu County Enterprise Hub" platform, ensuring end-to-end service coverage.

Streamlined approvals have become a tangible benefit for businesses. The county introduced "one-stop service" windows and innovative models like "virtual approvals + commitment-based licensing," enabling millet projects to commence construction immediately upon land acquisition. "Previously, obtaining permits took months across multiple departments. Now, approvals are completed in five working days, allowing projects to start three months earlier, saving nearly 1 million yuan in upfront costs," said Qiao Jingbin of Yu County Jinweixiang Agricultural Development Co., a millet processing firm. These reforms have been replicated across 12 projects, saving over 800 days in time costs.

**Resource Integration Fuels Growth, Industrial Transformation Adds Vitality** Yu County synergizes resource consolidation with industrial upgrades to empower the millet sector. Leading enterprises drive the establishment of a county-level technology collaboration center, while partnerships with e-commerce platforms form service alliances. The innovative "Millet Chain Loan" financing model, coupled with an industry evaluation system and a service provider whitelist, addresses funding gaps.

The unsecured "Millet Chain Loan," backed by supply chain credit, has benefited cooperatives like Yu County Yinong Millet. "We expanded planting from 500 to 1,200 acres after securing a 2-million-yuan loan in just three days," said Wang Jianjun, the cooperative’s head. To date, 36 businesses have accessed over 120 million yuan through this program.

Additionally, the county introduced traceability apps and smart agriculture platforms, enabling consumers to scan QR codes for full production transparency—from cultivation to processing—raising product standards.

**Cluster Development Expands Horizons, Cross-Regional Collaboration Broadens Reach** Yu County fosters industrial clusters through "contract farming + guaranteed purchase" agreements with leading firms, trade fairs, and cross-border e-commerce forums. Its "one core, two belts, three parks" cluster plan integrates primary and deep processing upgrades with geographical indication protections.

"Guaranteed orders give us confidence," said farmer Zhang Zhanbing, whose 15-acre yield earned 4,000 yuan more than market rates. Over 80,000 acres are now under contract farming, benefiting 23,000 households.

Regional partnerships with the Great Wall Golden Triangle (Mongolia-Shanxi-Hebei), Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and the Bohai Rim have established industry alliances and distribution hubs. Standardized production bases and digital transformation initiatives, including cloud-based equipment upgrades, further modernize operations.

**Talent Drives Innovation** The "Grain Talent Revitalizes Yu" program attracts experts, sets up research stations, and trains modern farmers. "New millet varieties boosted yields from 800 to 1,100 pounds per acre with superior quality," noted a county agriculture official. Eighteen experts and 1,200 skilled farmers have joined the effort.

Today, Yu County’s millet industry thrives as a provincial-level industrial consortium. A dedicated financial service station offers tailored loan products, partnerships with JD.com advance, drought-resistant varieties gain traction, and new breeding bases progress—showcasing a high-quality development model.