Welcome Remarks

The year 2019 is critical to the achievement of the comprehensive construction of a well-off society and is instrumental in implementing the rural revitalization strategy. The sixth China Agricultural Outlook Conference to be convened on 20-21 April 2019 and the China Agricultural Outlook Report launched by the Conference for the next ten years are important measures to implement the Xi Jinping thought on agriculture, rural areas and farmers of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, new development concept and decisions and instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council. The conference is crucial for strengthening the predictability of agricultural development, promoting the high-quality agricultural development and the execution of the rural vitalization strategy.

China has been hosting the China Agricultural Outlook Conference for four years in a row since 2014 to issue China's agricultural outlook report for the next ten years. As an important outcome of the development of agricultural monitoring and early-warning system with Chinese characteristics, the China Agricultural Outlook Conference has played a significant role in strengthening the initiative in regulating agricultural markets, enhancing the response of various market players to market dynamics and constantly raising China's voice on the international markets.

The 2019 China Agricultural Outlook Conference, sponsored by Market Early Warning Expert Committee of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), will be hosted by Agricultural Information Institute of CAAS, with support from Information Center of MARA, Research Center for Rural Economy of MARA, and Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of MARA.

The major agenda of Conference includes: (i) Releasing China Agricultural Outlook Report. The conference will release China Agricultural Outlook (2019-2028), analyze the market situation and project the market trend; (ii) Specialized presentation by commodity. Reports and presentations will forecast the agricultural supply and demand situation in 2019, covering rice, wheat, maize, soybean, cotton, oilseed, sugar, vegetable, fruit, meat, poultry eggs, dairy products, fish products, feed, etc.; and (3) Deliberation on hot topics in rural and agricultural development. AOC will organize seminars on pressing topics relating to China's agricultural development, including International Agricultural Trade, Smallholders and Modern Agriculture, Big Data and Agriculture Monitoring and Early-warning, Digital Agriculture, E-commerce and Poverty Alleviation, Agricultural Resources and Environment, etc.

The conference will bring together officials and practitioners from relevant ministries, scientific research institutions, universities, private sector, international organizations, new type of entities in agricultural production and agribusiness, as well as professionals and scholars in the fields of agricultural information, market early warning, agricultural outlook, offering them an effective platform to jointly discuss the development of China agriculture in the next decade, and to share the achievements of China agriculture.

We look forward to meeting you in April, 2019 in Beijing!

Xu Shiwei

Executive Chairman of China Agricultural Outlook Conference