Ministry of Water Resources: encourage new agricultural operators to invest in "small-scale farmers' water"

On 31 March, the reporter learned from a press conference held by the State News Office that the state encourages new operators, such as cooperatives and large grain growers, to invest in the construction of small-scale irrigation and water conservancy facilities, and through certain measures to allow financial investment and farmers' self-built "small-scale agricultural water" projects for farmers to hold and protect. In addition, China plans to solve the problem of drinking water safety for 60 million rural people this year.

Irrigation and water conservancy is the cornerstone of China's food security, and the investment in irrigation and water conservancy has been growing continuously in recent years. Qiao Yong, vice minister of water resources, said: "there are large and medium-sized irrigation districts in irrigation and water conservancy, and this part is dominated by financial investment at all levels, and the small irrigation area is the last canal system in the field. This investment is based on the mode of government subsidy and self-construction of the common people. We should do more work and make up more, work early and make up early, and encourage farmers to devote themselves to the construction of irrigation and water conservancy. "

A few days ago, the State Council issued a document encouraging social capital to invest in and operate farmland and water conservancy projects, encouraging farmers' cooperatives, family farms, large grain growers and agricultural enterprises to invest in the construction of farmland water conservancy projects and soil and water conservation facilities, and allowing small-scale agricultural water conservancy and soil and water conservation project assets formed by financial subsidies to be held and protected by agricultural water use cooperative organizations. In this regard, Qiao Yong said: "the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Finance have specially issued a method for the management of property rights in the construction of small-scale water conservancy projects. in this reform system, small-scale water conservancy projects invested by financial subsidies, farmers' investment or rural cooperative organizations can be owned by the state and rural collectives, new cooperative organizations and, of course, individual farmers. Specific methods are guided and compiled by local governments, so as to arouse the enthusiasm of farmers to participate in water conservancy construction. "

With regard to the serious shortage of urban and rural water supply capacity in some areas, Qiao Yong said: "the area of our country is very large, and there are indeed great differences between different regions in terms of water supply capacity and degree of security. North China and Northwest China are mainly lack of water resources, so it is necessary to enhance the carrying capacity of local water resources through inter-basin water transfer. The southwest region is engineering water shortage, although there is a certain amount of rainfall, but the lack of necessary regulation and storage projects, so that in the southwest region in the event of drought, urban and rural water supply will be very tight. Therefore, it is necessary to build corresponding regulation and storage projects and reservoir projects to improve the degree of guarantee of urban and rural water supply. "

In addition, Qiao Yong said that the focus of water conservancy investment this year is divided into three major areas, namely, the construction of major water conservancy projects, the safety of drinking water in rural areas, and surface water conservancy projects. This part of the investment will certainly play a significant role in supporting and stimulating China's steady economic growth and expanding domestic demand. In 2014, 17 major water conservancy projects, including Datengxia on the Xijiang River, Shandian of the Huaihe River, Jiayan in Guizhou, and Xizang Laluo, were started. 57 major water conservancy projects are under construction, and implementation is being accelerated. It is also planned to start 27 new major water conservancy projects this year, all of which have been set up at present, and are speeding up the relevant preliminary work and various preparations before construction, and construction will start one after another this year.