On the morning of July 22, the 3rd International Forum on Black Soil Conservation and Utilization & 9th Lishu Black Soil Forum opened in Changchun Modern Agricultural Park. To thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's speeches on protecting and making good use of black soil, the event invited renowned experts and scholars from home and abroad to seek effective ways to conserve and utilize black soil, revolving around the theme "Security of Arable Land and Enhancement of Grain Production Capacity". Jing Junhai, Party chief of Jilin province, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Hu Yuting, deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and governor of the province, presided over the ceremony.

On July 22, the 3rd International Forum on Black Soil Conservation and Utilization & 9th Lishu Black Soil Forum opens in Changchun. Jing Junhai, Party chief of Jilin province, attends the opening ceremony and delivers a speech. Hu Yuting, deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and governor of the province, presides over the ceremony. Photo/Zou Naishuo

At the opening ceremony, there was a promotional video on the conservation and utilization of black soil played. Zhang Tao, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sun Qixin, president of China Agricultural University, Fu Wanjun, president of Agricultural Bank of China, and Chris Freeman, member of the Royal Society of Biology, made speeches. Jiang Ming, director of the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, released the 2022 Report on Black Soil Conservation and Utilization in Northeast China.

On behalf of the provincial Party committee and the provincial government, Jing Junhai extended a warm welcome to all the guests attending the event, and expressed his heartfelt thanks to people from all walks of life who have been supporting Jilin's revitalization and development. He said that General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to agricultural production and food security, and places high hopes for Jilin's agricultural production. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi has visited Jilin three times, given important instructions on ensuring grain production, and provided Jilin with fundamental guidance for becoming a vanguard in the development of modern agriculture in the new era and promoting the conservation and utilization of black soil. In recent years, the province has always kept in mind General Secretary Xi's instructions, resolutely shouldered the political responsibility of safeguarding national food security, carried out the "Black Soil Granary" scientific and technological battle together with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, summarized and promoted the "Lishu model", and achieved leapfrog improvement in overall grain production capacity. For two consecutive years, the grain output of the province has exceeded 80 billion jin (40 million tons), and the yield per unit area has ranked first among major grain-producing provinces, laying a solid foundation for increasing grain production capacity by 100 billion jin (50 million tons).

Jing noted that Jilin, as a major agricultural province, a major grain-producing province and an important commodity grain production base in the country, is to thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi's discourses on safeguarding national food security, especially the gist of his speech at the second meeting of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs, ensure that both Party committees and governments assume responsibility for ensuring food security, make every effort in increasing its grain production capacity by 100 billion jin (50 million tons), produce more and quality grain for the country, and build itself into a strong province in agriculture at a faster pace. First, we should implement the strictest possible system for the protection of farmland. Second, we should keep sown areas increasing year after year. Third, we should boost the development of high-standard farmland, and carry out saline-alkali farmland management and amelioration in different areas. Fourth, we should focus on the construction of key water conservancy projects to ensure grain production. Fifth, we should vigorously develop the deep processing, intensive processing and fine processing of agricultural products, and move faster to build Jilin into a grain and meat warehouse for the country, as well as a central kitchen for the people.

On July 22, Jing Junhai, Party chief of Jilin province, Hu Yuting, deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and governor of the province, and guests attending the event jointly inspect the new corn variety developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the exhibition of black soil conservation. Photo/Zou Naishuo

Jing stressed that farmland is the fundamental guarantee for national food security, as well as the lifeblood of grain production. Moving forward, Jilin will faithfully implement General Secretary Xi's important instructions on the conservation and utilization of black soil, act upon the strategy of sustainable farmland use and innovative application of agricultural technology to increase farmland productivity, ensure the responsibility of black soil protection is fulfilled by Party secretaries at province, city, county, township and village levels, jointly carry out research on core technologies in key fields with domestic and foreign universities and scientific research institutes, vigorously promote the "Lishu model", the "Da'an model" and other technical paths, and strive to increase the total area of conservational tillage to 40 million mu and high-standard farmland to 50 million mu by 2025. Jing said that hopefully, countries with black soil resources in the world will continue to deepen international cooperation, relevant departments of the central government will continue to care for and support Jilin, brother provinces will work with Jilin to protect the quantity, quality and ecology of black soil, experts and scholars will actively offer suggestions on protecting and using black soil, and media organizations will intensify publicity to make black soil conservation and utilization a common understanding of the international community.

On July 22, Jing Junhai, Party chief of Jilin province, Hu Yuting, deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and governor of the province, and guests attending the event jointly learn about the ecological improvement model of saline-alkali land developed by China Agricultural University at the exhibition of black soil conservation. Photo/Zou Naishuo

Jing Junhai and Hu Yuting watched exhibitions of black soil conservation and the "Black Soil Granary" scientific and technological battle, inspected the development and sales of local agricultural products at the booths of cities (prefectures), talked with researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China Agricultural University, and encouraged them to promote local farm produce and to help Jilin build into a strong province in agriculture.

On July 22, Jing Junhai, Party chief of Jilin province and Hu Yuting, deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and governor of the province, talk with exhibitors in the exhibition area of agricultural products. Photo/Zou Naishuo