Zhang Taolin, Vice Minister of Agriculture stressed the importance of innovation in management mechanism and the advancement of agricultural scientific research for greater accomplishment in the kick-off meeting for the research projects on species of pests and their features of harm to farm crops.
On January 12, 2010, the kick-off meeting of Research into the species of major pests and their features of harm to farm crops was held in Beijing. Zhang Taolin, Vice Minister of Agriculture stressed at the meeting that the specific research projects were the new pioneering work in the policy of finance and technology, the new move to promote scientific and technological advancement, the new enhancement of development of economic society supported by science and technology with great supportive force and multilateral endorsement. It was necessary to keep minds wide open, pushing ahead with management innovation in the spirit of reform and innovation, carrying out workable good deeds, practically turning the domestic scientific and technological investment into real and a steady flow of scientific and technological achievements and turning the primary productive force into actual productive force.
Zhang Taolin said that science and technology were the major potential in guaranteeing domestic food security and long-term and sufficient supply of agricultural products, increasing income of farmers and promoting continuous use of resources while reform and investment also counted. Facing tough tasks, agricultural science and technology called for urgent advancement. To carry out specific research projects could meet the purposes of satisfying needs of agriculatural development and scientific innovation for the improvement of capability in sufficient supply of main agricultural products, the supportive increasing income of farmers, the raising level of agriculture and the change of development method, to keep rural economy develop in a rapid and sound manner.
As pointed out by Zhang Taolin, under the great support of the Ministry of Finance, 151 specific research projects in 3 batches have been launched since 2007 with 2.88 billion yuan coming from the central finance. Over the past three years, scientists and engineers have been actively carrying out scientific and technological innovation, demonstration and application in pests and diseases management, crop planting and cultivation, efficient use of resources and environmental protection and the development of regional advavgious industries and have won many favorable comments.
Zhang Taolin stressed that in order to practically carry out specific research projects, it was necessary to stick to the orientation first, which toke the major research content as solving the vital and common problems to developing agriculture, viewing leading varieties, techniques, regulations and decision support to agriculture as verification goal and assessment standard. Further improvement was required in key scientific and technological issues concerning development of the industry, highlighting supporting focus in the specific projects, especially the reinforced support in three aspects as national, regional and seed industry.
Secondly, it was necessary to reinforce combined association. Without combination, cooperation, continuous research, there won t be any breakthrough and achievement. No matter the scientific and technological projects of national, regional or the seed industry, an integrated team with multi-subjects, multi-fields and multi-departments as well as a combination of scientific research, teaching, extention and enterprise for a combined association were of vital importance. The new agricultural scientific and technological system with scientific research, education and extention in one based on specific research projects was required to keep improving the overall efficiency of agricultural science and technology.
Thirdly, reinforcement of procedure management. Whether a project was effective in supporting development of an industry, promoting combined association lay in the procedure management. It was necessary to establish and improve experts' consultation, share achievements, mid-term assessment, transparency, and credit evaluation, supervision of funds and report of important matters.
Fourthly, do a good job of construction of talented workforce and study style. It required us to rely on the specific reseach projects, actively cultivate and introduce innovative talents, strive to create a group of scientific and technological pioneering workforce and leaders; meanwhile, good study style was reguired to avoid distraction and unpractical deeds.
It is understood that Research into the species of major pests and their features of harm to farm crops is led by National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Centre, organizing the domestic strong scientific and technological force in scientific research, teaching and extention of plant protection, focusing on major agricultural crops, by ecological regions, researching into diseases, pests, grass and rats with an intention to learn more about species of pests, distribution, hazard and trend of outbreak. This is the first domestic systematic general survey over the 60 years of the founding of New China.
Present at the meeting were some 120 people, including persons concerned from the Department of Science,Technology and education, Department of Finance and Department of crop Farming Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, and National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Centre, director-generals of plant protection stations in 31 provinces, experts concerned in 11 teaching and research units including Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and China Agricultural University.
