Welcome Remarks

2021 is the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and also the beginning of comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization, ushering in a new stage for agriculture and rural development. In the past year, China’s agriculture development grabbed global attention against the backdrop of the increased uncertainty of global economic and agricultural development, caused by the ravaging Covid-19 epidemic, the spread of anti-globalization, and the slowing down of economic growth. In order to maintain the fundamentals of economic growth and agriculture development, the government has put in place a number of policies and strategies to address the challenges in and provide opportunities for agricultural development.

2021 China Agricultural Outlook Conference to be held on April 20 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 seven 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 2020 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, and co-organized by Information Center of MARA, Research Center for Rural Economy of MARA, Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of MARA and China Association of Agricultural Science Societies, et al.

The major agenda of Conference includes: (i) Releasing China Agricultural Outlook Report. The conference will release China Agricultural Outlook (2021-2030), analyze the market situation and project the market trend; and (ii) Specialized presentation by commodity. Reports and presentations will forecast the agricultural supply and demand situation, covering rice, wheat, maize, soybean, cotton, oilseed, sugar, meat, poultry eggs, dairy, fish products, feed, etc.; and (iii) Deliberation on hot topics in rural and agricultural development. AOC will organize seminars on pressing topics relating to China's agricultural development, including Rural Revitalization, Food Security, Agricultural Resources and Environment, Big Data and Agriculture Monitoring and Early-warning, Big Data and Agriculture Monitoring and Early-warning, Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation, and International Agricultural Trade.

The conference will invite officials and practitioners from relevant ministries, scientific research institutions, universities, private sector, international organizations, new type of entities in agricultural production and agribusiness to participate in the on-site conference; in the meantime we welcome professionals and scholars in the fields of agricultural information market early warning and agricultural outlook to attend the on-site/online conference, offering them an effective platform to jointly share the achievements of China agriculture, and to discuss the development of China agriculture in the next decade.

We look forward to meeting you in April, 2021 in Beijing!

Xu Shiwei

Executive Chairman of 2021 China Agricultural Outlook Conference