Chinese Mainland’s 10-Year Agri-Revolution: From Fields to Finance

Last week, on December 29–30, the central rural work conference took place in the Chinese mainland as the country gears up for its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030). 🌾 President Xi Jinping emphasized that modern agriculture isn’t just about boosting yields anymore—it’s about building a full-chain industry that secures food, lifts rural living standards, and drives common prosperity.

The Turning Point

Back in January 2016, the Guidelines on Promoting the Integrated Development of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Industries in Rural Areas laid the foundation for a farming upgrade. Fast forward to December 2025, and the results are eye-opening:

• 2,250 national-level leading agri-food enterprises 🌟
• Agricultural product processing rate at nearly 78%
• Over 18 trillion yuan in revenue for large-scale processors (about $2.55 trillion)

It’s not just factories: e-commerce is now a core farm tool. Live-selling on platforms like Douyin and Pinduoduo turned streams into digital harvests—online agri-product sales soared to 680 billion yuan, up 60%+ since 2021. 🛒

Rural tourism is also in full bloom. In early 2025, village destinations welcomed 707 million visits, generating 412 billion yuan. Meanwhile, rural residents’ per capita disposable income hit 23,119 yuan this year, outpacing urban growth. 🎉

Pillars of Change

Three powerful forces have driven this transformation:

Leading enterprises now control everything from seeds to supermarket shelves. Through contract farming and cooperatives, smallholders get stable incomes, technical training, and guaranteed markets—empowering millions of households.

“Crop-livestock” and “crop-livestock-forestry” models turn waste into wealth. Animal manure becomes fertilizer, crop leftovers fuel biogas—and villages unlock eco-tourism and new revenue streams. 🔄

The “efficient market + effective government” approach, led by Alibaba’s rural commissioners and partners like Douyin, has built a logistics network that moves millions of parcels daily. This digital highway creates over 10 million jobs, letting farmers capture more of their products’ value. 💻

As the Chinese mainland steps into 2026–2030, this decade of agri-innovation shows how technology, sustainability, and smart policy can turn fields into engines of growth. 🚜✨

Reference(s):

China's decadal leap in agricultural value chain modernization

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