Zhejiang sets goal for agricultural and rural modernization

East China's Zhejiang province has issued a five-year plan for agricultural and rural modernization, aiming to take the lead nationwide in achieving this goal by 2030.

The plan sets 2030 targets including a 74 percent contribution rate from advances in agricultural science and technology, coverage of "harmonious and beautiful villages" of more than 90 percent, and a ratio of urban to rural residents' incomes of 1.77:1.

Its eight major tasks and 40 measures focus on high-efficiency, eco-friendly agriculture, improved rural living conditions, higher rural incomes, and closer urban-rural integration. Zhejiang plans to expand the use of artificial intelligence in agriculture, optimize farmland layouts, raise grain and oil crop yields, upgrade modern agricultural parks, and develop local specialty industries.

The province will also renovate rural housing, upgrade utility lines and village roads, promote market-based village operations, and attract more young people to rural areas. Measures to raise incomes include vocational training, entrepreneurship and employment services, and better use of rural resources and assets.

Other steps include extending urban infrastructure and public services to rural areas and advancing reforms involving the urban integration of rural migrants, collective forest rights, land management, and property transactions.