It was the spring ploughing season. In the agricultural machinery management center of Xianghe farm of Heilongjiang Beidahuang group, several technicians were busy cleaning and repairing the double axle fertilization plate. Not long ago, the farm updated and refitted a number of fertilization machines, and the efficiency of spring farming is expected to reach a new level this year. Heilongjiang Province is one of the main grain producing areas in China and is regarded as an important "ballast" to ensure national food security. With the process of urbanization and industrialization, in recent years, the grain planting area in the main grain sales areas such as coastal areas has continued to decline, the pressure of grain supply in the main production areas has been increasing, and the national food security is also facing new challenges. This year, No. 1 central document clearly stated that "the main production areas, the main sales areas, the production and marketing balance areas must ensure the area and ensure production, continuously improve the comprehensive grain production capacity of the main production areas, and effectively stabilize and improve the grain self-sufficiency rate in the main sales areas, and ensure that grain production basically is self sufficient in the production and marketing balance area". This means that the three regions should shoulder the burden of ensuring food security and jointly secure the jobs of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. The main production areas bear heavy responsibilities for a long time —— There are 13 main grain producing areas, 7 main selling areas and 11 production and marketing balance areas in China Recently, "sanku" has become a popular word in the northern wilderness. The relevant person in charge of Beidahuang group told reporters that the "three warehouses" refer to the group's origin supply warehouse, local distribution warehouse and logistics node warehouse. "We have established a production area supply warehouse, which can directly supply grain to local distribution warehouses. At present, we are stepping up the construction of logistics node warehouse, so that the high-quality grain produced by Beidahuang can be sold to all parts of the country more quickly and delivered to the people's table." In China's grain territory, Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province and other major grain producing areas have long undertaken the important task of grain production and supply, and are the main force of "grain transportation from north to South". But many people do not know that the southern region was once China's main grain production base. In the early days of the founding of new China, more than half of the 14 provinces in the South were net food transfer out provinces. Since the reform and opening up, the southern region has vigorously promoted industrialization and urbanization, and the sown area of grain has begun to show a "reduction in the South and Beiping". "Grain production is an industry that mainly depends on the scale of land. Although the land productivity in the south is high, the per capita cultivated land is less, so it is difficult to maintain the family living standard." He Xiurong, Professor of the school of economics and management of China Agricultural University and counselor of the State Council, told our reporter. In this context, farmers in the South either engage in non-agricultural industries or produce high-value cash crops, and the grain production area in these areas is gradually decreasing. At the same time, thanks to the improvement of agricultural technology and agricultural equipment, the comprehensive agricultural production capacity in northern China has increased significantly, and the focus of China's grain growth has gradually shifted from south to north. "In the process of grain circulation, it flows from surplus areas to shortage areas, which is in line with the law of the market." Jiang Heping, a professor at the Institute of agricultural economy and development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said. In the new century, China has implemented the reform of grain circulation system. According to the overall characteristics of grain production and consumption in various provinces, and comprehensively considering the differences of resource endowment and the historical tradition of grain production, 31 provinces (regions and cities) are divided into main grain producing areas, main selling areas and production and marketing balance areas. What are the three functional areas? Jiang Heping said that at present, there are 13 main grain producing areas, 7 main sales areas and 11 production and marketing balance areas in China. Among them, the geographical, soil, climate and other natural conditions of the main grain producing areas are suitable for planting grain crops, with high grain output and large planting proportion. While ensuring self-sufficiency, they can also transfer out a large number of commercial grains, including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan. The economy of the main grain sales areas is relatively developed, but there are more people and less land, and there is a large gap in grain output and demand, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan. The production and marketing balance zone has made limited contribution to the national grain output, but it can basically maintain self-sufficiency, including Shanxi, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Guangxi, Shaanxi and Xinjiang. Despite years of bumper harvests, there are still differences in production capacity —— The self-sufficiency rate of grain in the main sales areas is low, and there is a gap in the economic development level of the main production areas In recent days, members of Fusheng village cooperative in Fusong Town, Fusong County, Jilin Province are busy studying scientific seed selection. Since the establishment of the cooperative in July last year, the village has regularly carried out scientific and technological training to guide villagers to buy excellent seeds and chemical fertilizers in preparation for spring ploughing. Through large-scale planting and integrated application of high-yield technology, the output of corn per mu will increase by 250 kg in 2021. In recent years, China's grain harvest has been bumper year after year, and the total grain output has increased steadily. According to the data released by the National Bureau of statistics, in 2021, China's total grain output reached 1365.7 billion kg, a record high, an increase of 26.7 billion kg or 2% over the previous year, and remained above 1.3 trillion kg for seven consecutive years, effectively ensuring national food security. However, while the total grain output has increased steadily, there are still great differences in grain production capacity among regions. Especially in the main sales areas, the problem of low grain self-sufficiency rate is still prominent. For example, in 2021, the total grain output of Guangdong Province reached 12.799 million tons, while its total population exceeded 120 million, and the per capita grain output was less than 100 kg. The annual grain output of Fujian Province is about 5 million tons, but the total grain consumption exceeds 21 million tons, the production and marketing gap reaches more than 16 million tons, and the grain self-sufficiency rate is only about 23%. "Since this century, the main sales areas have been dominated by industrialization and urbanization, no longer undertaking the specific task of grain production, and their cultivated land and grain output have declined rapidly." Jiang Heping analyzed that due to the accelerated pace of urbanization, farmers in the main sales areas are less dependent on land, a large number of labor force go out to work, there is "abandoned land", and the effective grain field area and grain sowing area are continuously reduced. At the same time, because the income of planting cash crops is higher than that of grain, the planting area of "non grain" in the main sales area is also expanding year by year. In order to supplement the grain gap, the main sales areas must transfer a large amount of grain from the main production areas. "In order to ensure the national food supply, at present, China's main grain producing areas bear great pressure on grain output, and the consumption of resources is relatively large." He Xiurong said. For example, the North China Plain, one of China's major agricultural areas, has formed a large funnel area due to long-term overexploitation of groundwater. In addition, the main grain producing areas have made great contributions to the national food security, but their economic development level generally lags behind the main sales areas. The situation of "high-yield and poor counties" in some large grain producing counties needs to be improved. "In China, the focus on grain production cannot be fully considered in accordance with the principles of comparative advantage and benefit priority." Tang Renjian, Minister of agriculture and rural areas, said. According to the deployment of No. 1 central document this year, the main production areas, the main sales areas and the production and marketing balance areas will have to maintain the area and ensure the output, and continuously improve the grain production capacity in the main producing areas, and stabilize and improve the grain self-sufficiency rate in the main sales areas, so as to ensure the grain's basic self sufficiency in the production and marketing balance area. "Document No. 1 expounds the goal of grain classification and zoning, which is to make it clear that food security is the responsibility and task of all provinces in the country." He Xiurong said that the main production areas should continue to pay close attention to grain production. The main sales areas should also improve the rate of grain self-sufficiency and ensure the area of grain planting. The production and marketing balance areas should continue to maintain basic self-sufficiency and cannot develop into main sales areas. "This requires financial, financial and other economic means, as well as compaction of responsibilities at all levels, taking food security as a political responsibility and working in a multi pronged manner to achieve the goal." The guarantee is more than 1 trillion Jin —— The three regions should not only ensure the area of cultivated land, but also make grain planting profitable through policy incentives and scientific and technological means To ensure the area and output of the main production areas, main sales areas and production and marketing balance areas, it is necessary to let agricultural producers realize the real benefits of grain planting and make them willing to grow grain. "The subsidy is more than 9 yuan per mu, and a total of more than 100 yuan has been received." Not long ago, Luo Chaohai of Shiban village, Pingshang Town, Puding County, Guizhou Province received grain subsidies on the "all-in-one card". Last year, on the basis of the initial budget of 120.485 billion yuan for cultivated land productivity protection subsidies, the central government issued an additional 20 billion yuan as a one-time subsidy to farmers actually growing grain, which effectively mobilized the enthusiasm of farmers in many areas across the country to grow grain. Recently, the central government again continued the implementation of relevant policies in 2021, and issued a fund of 20 billion yuan to provide one-time subsidies to farmers who actually grow grain, so as to stabilize farmers' income. In addition to one-time financial subsidies, experts suggest that we should make an article on the details to ensure food production. For example, scientifically guide farmers to plan the layout of grain production and curb farmers' blind following in planting; Provide subsidies to farmers for agricultural technology extension and equipment introduction; Actively guide farmers who reduce or withdraw from agricultural production to carry out land transfer, improve land use efficiency and realize large-scale operation of grain production. For the main sales areas, improving the food self-sufficiency rate means that some agricultural producers turn from planting cash crops to growing grain, and it is particularly critical to ensure that the latter "make money". Jiang Heping believes that the demand of domestic consumers has changed from "having a full meal" to "having a good meal", and high yield and good price can be achieved by selecting high-quality grain varieties. At the same time, we should cultivate new business forms, new models and new functions of grain production and management, and make the grain industry truly "profitable" by means of comprehensive supporting of improved varieties, prescriptions and technologies and building grain brands. Cultivated land is the lifeblood of grain production. To improve the rate of grain self-sufficiency, we must do a good job in cultivated land construction. On the one hand, we should constantly improve the quality of cultivated land. On the other hand, we should resolutely protect cultivated land and curb the occurrence of "non-agricultural" and "non grain" problems. At present, many places have begun to take positive action. The special plan for the construction of high standard farmland in Fujian Province (2021-2030) was issued, which defined the specific objectives of building, transforming and upgrading high standard farmland in the province. Guangdong Province issued several measures on Further Strengthening and improving the protection of cultivated land, and put forward requirements on Resolutely Curbing the "non-agricultural" of cultivated land and strictly controlling the "non grain" of cultivated land. The Ministry of agriculture and rural areas recently made it clear that by the end of this year, it will ensure that a total of 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland with guaranteed income in drought and flood will be built in China, and the grain production capacity will be more than 1 trillion kg. "The development of ecological high-value grain breeding industry is a key breakthrough area of China's modern agricultural development during the 14th Five Year Plan period, and it is also the direction of scientific and technological innovation of China's modern grain seed industry." Jiang Heping suggested that to ensure the area and output of grain production, we should also timely adjust the domestic food security strategy, such as focusing on the continuous increase of grain output to the combination of high quality and high yield with food security and nutritional value, so as to meet the new situation and challenges faced by grain production. (Xinhua News Agency)