Can the scene of soybeans all over the northeast reappear?

This year, Heilongjiang has greatly increased the soybean target price subsidy for 2015, with a subsidy of 130.87 yuan per mu, more than double the subsidy of 60.5 yuan per mu in 2014. The subsidies are bigger than many farmers expected. At present, subsidy funds are being distributed to farmers for six consecutive years. Can farmers regain confidence in planting soybeans after receiving subsidies? Can the scene of soybean sorghum everywhere in Northeast China be reproduced? Journalists conducted research on this.

Price subsidies are implemented

Lv Zichun, a farmer from Sandaolinzi Village, Jianshanzi Township, Baoqing County, Heilongjiang Province, who just got soybean planting subsidies, was really happy. In 2014, the subsidy was small, and soybean planting made little money. In 2015, he planted 200 mu of soybeans, plus subsidies, with a net income of about 130 yuan per mu. He planted 500 mu of soybeans and 300 mu of corn this year, hoping to have a good harvest.

Now farmers look at the market and policies when farming. Changes in agricultural policies directly affect farmers 'choice of farming. Lv Zichun said that five years ago, the benefits of planting soybeans were good. He chose to plant soybeans. Later, the temporary storage price of corn increased continuously for many years. The income gap between soybeans and corn became wider and wider. He constantly expanded the corn planting area and reduced the soybean planting area. This year, the state cancelled the corn temporary storage policy, corn prices fell, and gradually increased soybean subsidies, he expanded soybean planting area, reduced corn planting area. The soybean subsidy policy was introduced too late in the past two years. He hoped that the subsidy policy of the previous year would be announced before spring sowing every year, which would help farmers choose planting varieties according to the subsidy level.

Now that land circulation is widespread, soybean subsidies become important to tenants or lessors. It is understood that Heilongjiang soybean subsidy object is the actual grower of soybean legal actual planting area, including farmers and enterprises and institutions. When the land lessee signs the land contract with the land lessor, it specially agrees on how to distribute the soybean target price subsidy.

Shao Renjie, chairman of the Renjie Planting Cooperative in Jinshi Village, Changjiang Township, Nenjiang County, has recovered part of the soybean subsidy belonging to the cooperative from the land lessor. Last year, when the cooperative signed a land contract with farmers, it agreed that soybean subsidies would be divided into half. Because of the sharp reduction in soybean production due to drought, soybean output dropped from nearly 5000 catties to 3600 catties per week, and the cooperative lost more than 600,000 yuan a year. At present, soybean subsidies have been raised to 130.87 yuan per mu, cooperatives receive half of the subsidies, and losses have been reduced to 200,000 yuan. This year, when the cooperative signed the land contract with the farmers, it was re-agreed that the soybean subsidy of less than 1000 yuan per place would be given to the cooperative, and if the subsidy was higher than 1000 yuan, it would be divided into half. He hopes that soybean subsidies will follow the principle of "whoever grows subsidies", which will help mobilize farmers 'enthusiasm for planting soybeans.

Whether subsidies can be implemented in place is also a matter of great concern to farmers. The reporter found in the interview that some grass-roots cadres did not seriously implement the subsidy policy and concealed the planting area, resulting in some farmers unable to get reasonable subsidies. Farmers hope that relevant departments will strengthen supervision and ensure that subsidies can be truly implemented.

Improving the Competitiveness of Domestic Soybean

Chang 'an Village Modern Agricultural Machinery Cooperative, Haibei Town, Helen City, Heilongjiang Province has more than 30,000 mu of cultivated land. This year, all soybeans are planted due to the need of rotation. Chairman Du Zhentao said that the soybean target price subsidy in 2015 was strong and hoped to maintain this subsidy level in 2016.

Helen City is a famous hometown of high-quality soybeans. In recent years, with the widening of the income gap between soybean and corn planting, the soybean planting area shrinks year by year. Last year, the soybean planting area once dropped to 1.706 million mu. This year, Helen City put forward the soybean revival plan, and the soybean planting area recovered to 2.2 million mu to 2.25 million mu.

Guo Changsheng, director of Helen City Agricultural Bureau, believes that the primary reason for the increase in soybean planting area in Helen City is that the state carries out structural reform on the agricultural supply side, cancels the corn temporary storage policy, increases soybean subsidies, encourages soybean corn rotation, and mobilizes farmers 'enthusiasm for planting beans. In order to revive soybean industry, Helen City optimized soybean planting structure, reduced soybean planting varieties from 20 to 3 excellent varieties, mainly planting high-oil soybean, high-protein soybean and sprout bean; Develop soybean deep processing industry, extend industrial chain, and drive the construction of high-quality soybean production base; Integrate warehousing logistics and spot trading system, build e-commerce platform, and sell high-quality soybeans to all parts of the country; Develop small and micro enterprises for soybean products processing to drive the development of local soybean products industry. Helen City plans to keep soybean planting area above 2 million mu in the future.

The restoration of planting area is beneficial to improve the competitiveness of domestic soybean and promote the optimization of planting structure. The Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Soybean Production issued by the Ministry of Agriculture this year put forward that the soybean area should reach 140 million mu by 2020, an increase of 40 million mu over 2015. Heilongjiang is one of the main soybean producing areas in China, soybean production accounts for about one third of the country. In recent years, the soybean planting area once dropped to about 36 million mu. Since Heilongjiang implemented the soybean target price subsidy policy in 2014, the soybean planting area has stopped falling and rebounded. This year, the soybean planting area has recovered to about 42 million mu.

Tang Qijun, president of Heilongjiang Soybean Association, said that the substantial increase in soybean subsidies made up for the losses caused by the price drop and helped the soybean planting area to achieve recovery growth.

Confidence will take time to recover

To revive soybean production, the most important thing is to restore the confidence of soybean farmers. The reporter learned that although the income of soybean farmers has increased and the soybean planting area has recovered after the implementation of target price subsidies, many farmers still lack the confidence to resume planting soybeans.

The low comparative benefit of soybean is the fundamental factor affecting farmers 'confidence. Li Hongjun, director-general of Chengzi Village Crop Planting Cooperative, Shiren Town, Hulan District, Harbin City, has not planted soybeans for two consecutive years. He planted soybeans in his early years, and his income was good at first. Since 2011, with the rise of corn prices and the rise of land rents, the comparative benefits of soybeans became lower and lower, and even losses appeared. Considering that there is a market for non-GMO soybean oil, he thought about processing non-GMO soybean oil, but the soybean cake market is not good, and finally it is lost. Last year he gave up soybeans altogether and switched to corn and potatoes. At present, the state promotes potato staple food, potato market is good, planting income per mu can reach about 2000 yuan. He told reporters that many farmers around him, like him, abandoned soybeans because of comparative benefits.

To restore the confidence of soybean farmers, in addition to a sustained and stable soybean subsidy policy, other supporting policies are needed. Although Shao Renjie changed all kinds of soybeans this year, he did not have full confidence in the income. Since its establishment in 2013, their cooperatives have not enjoyed any support policies, and their operation is very difficult. They want to buy large-scale combine harvesters to expand production, but they suffer from lack of funds and loans. He hoped that local governments would also give cooperatives more supportive policies and provide more convenience for farmers to borrow money.

Tang Qijun thinks, Now soybean subsidy greatly increased income is still lower than corn, This is not conducive to soybean planting area recovery, In the future also need to increase soybean unit area yield to improve soybean income and reduce income difference. At present, the state should continue to increase soybean subsidies. At the same time, land rent accounts for more than 60% of the planting cost. If the state can consider giving appropriate land rent subsidies to reduce the cost of land lease, it can effectively guide farmers to switch to soybean planting.