Sustainable growth urged for West China
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-11-19 22:31

Sustainability" is the buzzword for development in western China, say top agriculture officials.

Experts say unique local services and products can be most beneficial to local economies.

Every province, municipality and autonomous region in western China has been called to focus on the specifics attributes of each local economy, pushing unique farm products in tune with market needs, said Zhang Baowen, vice-minister of agriculture during a two-day Western Forum of China, which closed on Friday.

For example, farmers in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region will use gouqi -- a popular herb -- to fatten their pockets. In Yunnan Province, flowers and plants will continue to be the export of choice while cows may become the money-makers for residents in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"Developing unique local farming may help alleviate poverty and boost incomes for western farmers," said Zhang.

He said his ministry has finished a draft plan on development of unique local farming which will be released soon.

China's vast western region has some competitive strengths when it comes to farming, such as arable land, grass, water and biodiversity. Various places have unique weather and geology. "Just as there is no panacea for all illnesses, there is no economic cure-all for every place seeking to prosper," said Zhang.

Zhang said locally-tailored agriculture may not only raise farmers' incomes but also serve as a platform for nurturing related industries, such as processing, packaging and even machine tool manufacturing.

Farmers in Inner Mongolia's Ulanqab League have set an example.

In the year 2000, the Ulanqab League returned a total of 800,000 hectares of fragile land from farming to pastures. Meanwhile, grain yields of the remaining farmland increased dramatically, along with the introduction of advanced agricultural technologies.

Nowadays, with the hills in the Ulanqab turned green, farmers in its 11 counties are leading relatively affluent lives after switching from grain planting to livestock breeding.

The Ulanqab League now has more than 80,000 cows, which generate 3,000-4,000 yuan (US$360 to US$480) of net profit per year each.

The ministry's decision was supported by some researchers.

Lin Yueqin, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told China Daily that developing tailored economies makes sense as China's vast territory means various ecological types and different climatic conditions. Furthermore, China's rich labour resources supply comparatively low-cost labour and faming is labour-intensive.

"But to compete with foreign giants in the international market, a series of problems should be resolved as soon as possible," said Lin. "A complete and high-efficiency marketing system should be erected to enhance our competitiveness in the international market."

He said outdated logistics mechanisms should be upgraded and complicated examination and approval procedures should be streamlined to reduce costs and guarantee quality, considering buyers put high value on the freshness of some produce such as flowers and plants.

At the forum, the vice-minister also said China will continue to adopt substantial measures to ensure safety of farm products, protecting the health of Chinese residents and making Chinese goods more competitive on the world market.

In the western region, China will also advocate producing safe agricultural products while encouraging the production of organic food.

"Enhancing quality and safety for agri-products will not only be an important channel for improving agricultural competitiveness and increase farmers' income, but also the basic requirement required for people's health," said Zhang.

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