An official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated on the 23rd at a State Council Information Office briefing that China's agricultural and rural economy maintained positive development momentum in the first quarter of this year, with comprehensive rural revitalization progressing steadily. The foundation for grain and oil production remains solid. The growth condition and development stages of winter wheat have largely caught up to normal levels. The area dedicated to winter rapeseed is stable, with favorable growth conditions. Spring ploughing and sowing are progressing smoothly, with the intended annual grain planting area remaining generally stable. Spring sowing of grain crops has surpassed 20% completion, slightly ahead or on par with the same period last year. Meanwhile, supplies of "basket of goods" products are ample.
Industrial revitalization serves as the source of enhancing endogenous development momentum in agriculture and rural areas, and is fundamental to comprehensive rural revitalization. In recent years, various regions have deepened efforts to develop local specialty products, strengthen leading enterprises, extend industrial chains, foster new business forms, and build brands, driving vigorous development in rural industries. Rural industries maintained good growth momentum in the first quarter. Firstly, agricultural product processing showed stable progress. The value-added of above-scale agricultural and sideline food processing industries increased by 6.8% year-on-year. In March, the Purchasing Managers' Index for national key leading agricultural industrialization enterprises was 58.1%, remaining above the 50% expansion threshold. This represents an increase of 6.8 and 3.8 percentage points from the previous month and the same period last year, respectively, indicating sustained improvement in industry sentiment.
Secondly, rural leisure tourism flourished. Holiday and experiential economies have helped create diverse new scenarios for rural consumption. Activities such as experiencing intangible cultural heritage, sightseeing of folk customs, and visiting rural fairs have become popular choices. Spring outings to the countryside for flower viewing and photography are also trending. An increasing number of young people are starting businesses in rural areas, with ventures like homestays and village cafes becoming new employment directions.
Thirdly, integrated industrial development continues to deepen. Support has been provided for regions to leverage their unique endowments, aggregate superior resources, and actively develop integrated agricultural industrial projects. Since the beginning of the year, support has been given to establish 40 new characteristic industrial clusters, 50 modern agricultural industrial parks, and 200 strong agricultural industrial towns. These initiatives aim to build platforms and industrial highlands for modern agricultural development. For example, some strong agricultural towns have extended their industrial chains by developing daylily cultivation, fostering deep processing industries for food and cosmetics, as well as rural leisure sectors.
Grain purchase prices have been stable with a slight increase this year. The employment situation for migrant workers and those seeking jobs locally remains generally stable, contributing to steady growth in farmers' income. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the real per capita disposable income of rural residents increased by 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, which is 2.2 percentage points faster than the growth for urban residents. Wage income and net business income contributed over 70% to this income growth.
The next steps involve collaborating with relevant departments to effectively promote various tasks aimed at ensuring stable increases in farmers' incomes, focusing on four key areas: industrial development, stable employment, deepening reforms, and effective policy utilization. Regarding industrial development, efforts will focus on tapping into local specialty resources, accelerating the enhancement of characteristic rural industries, strengthening agricultural product processing, cultivating agricultural enterprises, building agricultural brands, supporting rural entrepreneurship, and developing new industries and formats such as rural leisure tourism, cultural experiences, and rural e-commerce. Regular activities like agricultural product supply-demand matching and consumption assistance will be conducted to facilitate smooth sales of agricultural products.
For stable employment, models such as order-based,定向, and post-specific training will be continuously promoted to help improve employment skills. Characteristic labor service brands will be cultivated and promoted to boost migrant worker employment. The role of public welfare positions, employment assistance workshops, and labor-based relief programs will be fully utilized to increase local employment opportunities.
In terms of reforms, regions are encouraged to steadily develop new types of rural collective economies and adopt methods like independent operation, leasing, or equity participation to revitalize collective assets and resources based on local conditions. Reforms of rural collective property rights systems will be deepened, and the standardized construction and operation of rural property rights trading markets will be promoted to allow farmers to gain more property income.
Regarding policy utilization, in March this year, the Ministry publicly released a list of central government financial policies for strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers, and enriching rural households, which includes 16 subsidies. Collaboration with relevant departments will ensure policy implementation, translating policy benefits into tangible income increases for farmers.