CGTN：How China is strengthening rural specialty industries to promote rural revitalization
CGTN published an article exploring China's efforts to strengthen rural specialty industries as part of its broader rural revitalization strategy. The article highlights how localized, tailored approaches and technological advancements, such as AI and Internet of Things integration, are driving innovation and improving farmers' incomes, positioning agriculture as a modern pillar sector in China's future development.
BEIJING, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In eastern China, vegetables are grown in sensor-controlled greenhouses. In the northwest, fish are raised in ponds carved from desert sands. Further south, coffee beans are upgraded into premium brands. Meanwhile, in the northern grasslands, high-quality beef cattle anchor modern supply chains. These rural industries are now being linked into a broader push to modernize Chinese agriculture.
As China enters the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized that work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers is "of vital importance." China should strive to build agriculture into a major modernized sector and ensure a modern standard of living in rural areas so that farmers can enjoy a more prosperous life, Xi said at last December's annual central rural work conference.
The policy direction is explicit. The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan call for coordinated development of technology-driven, eco-friendly, quality-focused and brand-oriented agriculture, turning it into a modern pillar sector. These priorities were further detailed in the No. 1 central document for 2026, which outlined measures to advance agricultural and rural modernization and promote all-around rural revitalization.
Tailored to local conditions
In the Dabie Mountains of Lu'an City, east China's Anhui Province, steep terrain once constrained farming. Today, valleys use an ecological cultivation model for Dendrobium officinale, a high-value medicinal herb. Supported by leading enterprises, planting areas have exceeded 23,600 mu (about 1,573 hectares), nurturing more than 2,600 business entities and creating jobs for over 22,000 people.
In Wuzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, hilly land has been transformed into large-scale tea plantations. Benefiting from favorable geography and climate, tea-growing areas now exceed 400,000 mu, with annual output topping 40,000 tonnes and an expected comprehensive output value of over 30 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) in 2025.
Such examples are part of a broader trend in China. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China supported 210 specialty industrial clusters, 250 modern agricultural industrial parks and 1,098 strong agricultural towns. Nationwide, county-level agricultural leading enterprises have reached 94,000, including 2,250 at the national level.
"County-level industries that boost local incomes are a key vehicle for farmers to increase earnings locally," said Zhong Yu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He noted that mechanisms such as order-based purchasing, equity dividends and local employment help farmers share fairly in industrial growth.
Technology as a breakthrough
In Yi County, north China's Hebei Province, local persimmons were once sold only in season. Through collaboration with agricultural universities, enterprises developed techniques such as the "gradient cooling method" that extend shelf life from days to nearly a year, enabling year-round supply. In Wenjiang District of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, AI- and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled strawberry factories use hundreds of sensors to manage production, significantly boosting yields.
These micro-level shifts reflect a broader policy turn. The No. 1 central document for 2026 called for improving the effectiveness of agricultural science and technology innovation and, for the first time, explicitly encouraged wider application of drones, the IoT and agricultural robots.
President Xi has repeatedly stressed that the key to agricultural modernization lies in scientific and technological progress and innovation. China has built a relatively comprehensive agricultural innovation system, comprising more than 800 research institutions, over 120,000 researchers, and around 400,000 grassroots agricultural technicians.
For Li Jianjun, a professor from China Agricultural University, the 15th Five-Year Plan period will be critical for laying the foundations for basic realization of socialist modernization. Accelerating the integration of technological innovation with agricultural industrial innovation is essential to addressing long-standing weaknesses in rural development. He added that, done well, it can turn agriculture into a modern pillar industry – one that is more resilient, competitive and sustainable.
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