The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs convened a meeting of the Science and Technology Innovation Leading Group, emphasizing the need to plan ahead for the future agricultural industry and accelerate the self-reliance and self-improvement of high-level agricultural science and technology

On June 10, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs convened a meeting of the Science and Technology Innovation Leading Group. Party Committee Secretary and Minister Zhang Zhu presided over the meeting and delivered a speech.

The meeting conveyed and studied the important speeches and directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping on forward-looking planning and the development of future industries, and deliberated on advancing agricultural scientific and technological innovation. The meeting emphasized the need to thoroughly understand and accurately grasp the core essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches as the fundamental guideline for forward-looking planning in the agricultural future industry. It called for earnest implementation of the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, fostering and practicing a correct view of achievements, keeping pace with the forefront of agricultural science and technology, identifying the right path for cultivating the agricultural future industry, and balancing both forward-looking planning to seize opportunities and maintaining a measured pace to avoid blind imitation. The meeting also stressed the importance of strengthening policy support and scenario development, with breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation leading the advancement of the agricultural future industry.

The meeting emphasized the need to effectively elevate political awareness, focus on the overarching goals of building a strong science and technology nation and a strong agricultural nation, and deeply recognize the importance and urgency of accelerating agricultural scientific and technological innovation. It called for concentrating on key areas and critical links to advance agricultural scientific and technological innovation, and to achieve high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in agricultural science and technology.  Top-level design must be strengthened, with a focus on planning guidance, to ensure rapid development of agricultural science and technology through a high-quality policy framework. Task allocation should be prioritized, with enhanced agricultural fundamental research, intensified efforts in core agricultural technologies, and accelerated transformation and application of agricultural scientific and technological achievements.  Platform development is crucial, targeting emerging fields such as bio-manufacturing and artificial intelligence. A series of key laboratories, pilot-scale and proof-of-concept platforms should be planned and deployed to break hardware bottlenecks from fundamental research to cutting-edge technological breakthroughs, thereby shortening the cycle from R&D to market for new technologies.  System construction must be advanced in an integrated manner, strengthening the agricultural scientific and technological innovation system, industrial technology system, and agricultural extension system. Efforts should be made to actively develop and expand the agricultural scientific and technological service system, and to enhance the overall efficiency of the agricultural scientific and technological innovation system.  Topic selection and project approval must be rigorously managed, adhering to the principle of "industry setting questions and science answering them." Organized and systematic research efforts should be vigorously promoted, with strict evaluation criteria to accelerate the transformation of agricultural scientific and technological achievements into practical productivity.

The meeting required that all departments and agencies under the ministry enhance their ideological understanding, strengthen joint efforts in management, continuously improve their capabilities in agricultural science and technology, conduct in-depth research, effectively strengthen supervision in agricultural science and technology, vigorously promote the spirit of scientists, and work pragmatically and earnestly to drive new progress in the field of agricultural science and technology.