This is to strengthen the research and creation of the key technologies for a possible quick enhancement of original creativeness and competitiveness at the core of agricultural produce.

As introduced, the processing of agricultural produce in China remains on the whole at the initial stage of development as compared with that of the developed countries. The processing capability of the agricultural produce in developed countries is above 70 percent while that in China is only 25 percent.

China's value of processing industry of agricultural produce turned out only 0.43:1 as against the agricultural output value in 2000 while the ratio indicates 2.0 or even 3.7 against 1 in developed countries.

The implementation of the key special sci-tech items for "refined processing of key agricultural produce" will realize a change of the above-mentioned situation, overcoming some technical difficulties in the refined processing industry, setting up an initial national processing system for agricultural produces with its focus laid on the food processing and a new-type "technical system for processing agricultural produce".

In this way, it is to make an obvious enhancement in the processing of agricultural produce as regards its original creativeness and competitiveness at the core so as to make the transforming capability of the national agricultural produce from the present-day 20/30 percent to 40 percent.

In the meanwhile the ratio between the processing value of agricultural produce and the agricultural output value will be raised from the present-day 0.43:1 to 0.7:1,effecting a direct value of RMB 50 billion yuan (US$6 billion).

At the same time, a batch of brand-name products will be developed for getting a bigger potential and occupancy in the market with a batch of bases for sci-tech innovation and demonstrative production lines to be constructed.

In addition, a batch of enterprises with relatively strong creative power for refined processing of agricultural produce is going to be cultivated alongside with a contingent of sci-tech personnel so as to provide a strong support to the sustainable development of agriculture in China.

The construction of the special sci-tech items will be focused on the key technologies and facilities for the processing of soy bean, maize, apple, vegetable and meat, on the techniques and facilities for full-program quality control and quick testing of the products and to push them ahead for a finally all-round development.

To ensure a smooth implementation of the items, the mid-term check and technological appraisal will be strengthened. The key technology and particular technical norm, patent type, quantity and standard, talent qualification, product market occupancy and industrialization level of the processing industry as a whole will be the major criteria for the examination and verification of the subjects. And movable appraisal of the subject-items will be introduced with the primary support given to superior ones, a management pattern of a rolling development.

(People's Daily August 6, 2002)