China unveils five-year plan to strengthen rural cooperatives

China has released a five-year plan for its national supply and marketing cooperative system, aiming to strengthen agricultural services and ensure food security for the 2026-2030 period.

The plan outlines 18 key tasks focused on ensuring food security and advancing rural revitalization, according to the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

By 2030, the system will build or renovate more than 100 national-level strategic fertilizer depots and about 1,000 county-level distribution centers in major grain-producing counties.

For this year, the system aims to build or renovate about 20 national-level strategic fertilizer depots and more than 200 county-level distribution centers, creating a smooth and efficient agricultural input distribution network to safeguard national food security, according to the federation.

The federation said the system will build or renovate 200 agricultural service centers this year, accelerating the development of emergency services such as grain drying and storage to reduce post-harvest losses.

The supply and marketing cooperatives are organizations that serve agriculture, rural areas and farmers under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. They are an important vehicle for the Party and the government to carry out work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and a key force in advancing China's agricultural and rural development.

With a vast grassroots network across the country, the cooperative system serves as a critical link between urban and rural markets. It connects farmers with consumers, facilitates the distribution of agricultural products and supplies rural areas with essential production materials and daily necessities.