This year, China will add more than 20 million mu of high-efficiency and water-saving irrigation area.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, 24 Feb (Reporter Yu Wenjing Chen Mengyang)-- in order to consolidate the foundation of food security and make scientific use of precious water resources, China will speed up the construction of irrigation and water conservancy this year, adding more than 20 million mu of high-efficiency and water-saving irrigation area.

The reporter learned this from the Ministry of Water Resources on the 24th. In recent years, at the high starting point of "11 consecutive growth", China's agriculture is facing major challenges such as the tightening of the "red light" constraints of resources and environment.

Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said that strengthening the construction of irrigation and water conservancy is an important way to enhance the ability of sustainable development of agriculture. Under the guidance of accelerating the transformation of the mode of agricultural development, we should comprehensively implement regional large-scale and high-efficiency water-saving irrigation actions, vigorously promote water-saving irrigation technologies such as sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation, micro-irrigation, and pipeline water transportation, and promote the economical, intensive and efficient utilization of water resources.

It is understood that this year, China will complete the investment task of planning and renovation of 40 large irrigation districts, 200 medium-sized irrigation districts and 40 large irrigation and drainage pumping stations. We will comprehensively complete the action of saving water and increasing grain in Northeast China, and speed up the implementation of water conservation and efficiency in the northwest, water pressure mining in North China, and water conservation and emission reduction in the south. We will speed up the construction of small-scale key counties of irrigation and water conservancy and strive to solve the problem of "the last kilometer" of farmland irrigation.

Chen Lei said: it is necessary to innovate the system and mechanism of rural water conservancy development. We will implement the system of local administrative heads responsible for irrigation and water conservancy construction, and mobilize the enthusiasm of farmers and people to participate in irrigation and water conservancy construction through policies and measures such as award replacement, construction first, project support, credit support and so on. We will explore the property rights system and construction management model suitable for the characteristics of farmland and water conservancy projects, and encourage farmers' water use cooperative organizations and new agricultural operators to undertake the construction, management and protection of farmland and water conservancy projects. We will strengthen the capacity-building of grass-roots water conservancy service institutions, encourage farmers' water use cooperation organizations to develop into specialized farmers' water conservancy cooperatives, and cultivate specialized service teams such as flood control and drought control, irrigation and drainage, and rural water supply.

It is understood that China will take the comprehensive reform of agricultural water prices as an important breakthrough in agricultural water conservation and accelerate it. We should clarify agricultural water rights, strictly control the total amount of agricultural water use and quota management, improve water metering facilities, and implement progressive price increases for over-quota water while ensuring the basic water demand within the quota. Measures such as popularizing water-saving irrigation, reforming the final canal system, and adjusting the planting structure should be taken to establish an accurate subsidy system for agricultural water use and a water-saving incentive machine system, so as to arouse the enthusiasm of farmers to support the reform.