2022 Central Government Document No. 1 circulated: soybean oil attracting unprecedented attention

On February 22, the 2022 Central Government Document No. 1 was circulated focusing on Chinese agriculture-related issues. This is the 19th consecutive year of the document’s circulation, dedicated to agricultural issues.

The document requests implementation of national strategies to stabilize agricultural development to deal with the once-in-a-century world-changing situation and the impacts of the pandemic, to promote economic and social development steadily and healthily. It requests the agriculture-related issues to be managed satisfactorily and the promotion of rural revitalization be continued.

Some highlights of the document 

Minimum purchase price of rice and wheat to be escalated after 9 years

To ensure farmer’s earnings from growing grain is one of the key points made in the Central Government Document No. 1 this year, which clearly states that the minimum purchase price of rice and wheat will be escalated in 2022 as appropriate. This is once again asking for an increase in the purchasing price by the Central Government Document No. 1 as in 2013, nine years ago.

Soybean oil attracts unprecedented attention, capacity expansion on the way

This year, the document strongly proposes to increase the soybean and oil plant production capacity. It provides for subsidies to crop rotation and massive oil production, having put forward several specific measures for the increase of production capacity. Since 2003, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has conducted the “soybean-corn composite planting.” As of 2021, the area covered by the “soybean-corn composite planting” has reached more than 7 million mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare). The planting model has basically matured, which will become one of the technical approaches to be promoted for increase of planting of soybean and oil plants in 2022.

Carbon sink-oriented agrotechnology expressed in the document for the first time

The 2022 Central Government Document No. 1 requests research and application of carbon sink-oriented agrotechnology to explore the establishment of a value system for carbon sink. This is the first time that the concept of carbon sink in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan has been mentioned. 

Stress laid on mid/long term climate change for the first time, disaster prevention and mitigation to be enhanced 

This year, the Central Government Document No. 1 pays unprecedented attention to the capacity of disaster prevention and mitigation in agriculture, having specifically addressed the need to increase capacity building and investment in agricultural disaster prevention, mitigation and relief. In addition, the document proposes to strengthen the research of the impacts of mid/long term climate change on agriculture. 

Grain production bottom line being 0.65 trillion kilograms

The document requests that the food of the Chinese be firmly held in the hands of the Chinese at all times; the grain sown area needs to remain stable while the output needs to be maintained at over 0.65 trillion kilograms. Concerning high-standard farmland build, investment from multiple sources will be mobilized in 2022 to build 100 million mu of high-standard farmland.

In the meantime, farmland protection responsibility will be defined, subject to assessment. The document emphasizes the implementation of a “teeth-hard” farmland protection measure, which specifies the priority on the use of cultivated land, where permanent basic land will be primarily used for food grain while all high-standard farmland will be in principle used for grain production. In addition, the document requires planting of forest and fruit from now up and down mountains, and avoid the scramble for cultivated land.