In recent years, as people have attached increasing importance to food safety, organic food has gradually accounted for a growing proportion of daily consumption, and the organic agriculture industry and its products have also maintained relatively good momentum of development. At present, what misunderstandings do people have about organic agriculture and organic products? What problems exist in the development of the organic agriculture industry? How should they be solved? What are the prospects for the future development of organic agriculture? To this end, a reporter conducted an exclusive interview with Professor Du Xiangge, director of the Organic Agriculture Research Center at China Agricultural University. Professor Du stated that organic agriculture not only focuses on food safety, but also pays attention to environmental protection concepts, and it is part of modern agriculture. The development of the organic agriculture industry requires cultivating large enterprises and building organic product brands, and its future development potential is still very great.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Organic agriculture is agriculture of the three lives and modern agriculture.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Reporter: When organic agriculture and organic agricultural products are mentioned, many people think they are far removed from their own lives and beyond reach.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Du Xiangge: Organic agriculture is not only a mode of production (without chemicals), but also an ecological approach (protecting the environment) and a lifestyle (a place for leisure and happiness). This is why it is also called “agriculture of the three lives.” There is a great difference between domestic and foreign consumers in their attention to organic agricultural products. This is shown in the fact that while foreign consumers value whether organic agricultural products bring them health, they also believe that consuming organic agricultural products is fulfilling a social responsibility and supporting the rescue of the environment and the solution to the problem of sustainable agricultural development. This is unlike consumers in our country, who consider it only from the perspective of their own health, pay excessive attention to the safety of organic food, deliberately pursue it, absolutize its safety, and even demand zero tolerance.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Reporter: Organic agriculture does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, so some people believe that it is a return to traditional agriculture and therefore a departure from modern agriculture.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Du Xiangge: Organic agriculture was proposed by scientists against the background of protecting the soil on which humanity depends for survival and producing healthy crops and food. It is a new application of traditional agriculture after reflection, relying on modern scientific knowledge on the basis of traditional agriculture and under the guidance of the scientific principles of biology, ecology, and soil science. It is part of modern agriculture. It is a new model that humanity has vigorously advocated and developed after experiencing crises in energy, the environment, and food safety, and it transcends modern agricultural thought. Organic agriculture refuses to use agricultural chemicals, but that does not mean it departs from science. On the contrary, it is established on the basis of applying modern biological and ecological knowledge, modern agricultural processing, crop varieties, modern good agricultural management methods and soil and water conservation techniques, as well as good organic waste and crop straw treatment techniques, biological control techniques, and practice. This constitutes its greatest difference from traditional agriculture.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Organic products must shift from selling products to selling brands.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Reporter: Our country's organic agriculture has developed for so many years, yet it has never been very smooth. The pay and gains of practitioners are somewhat disproportionate. In your view, what are the main problems?文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Du Xiangge: In the production segment, at present there are few integrated technologies that can be conveniently applied in our country's organic agriculture, there is not much related research, there are few types of organic inputs, and biological pesticides are lacking. The key to organic agricultural production technology is to rely on organic fertilizers and biological fertilizers to meet crop growth nutrient requirements, while at the same time biological control measures must be used to prevent and control diseases, insects, and weeds. Regarding input substances for organic agriculture, although there are relevant regulations, there is still no specific and clear list of permitted substances, and it is often up to certification bodies to decide. Some certified organic products are of unqualified quality and do not meet the requirements of the country's basic standards, causing society to question the effectiveness and credibility of organic certification.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
In the circulation segment, China's organic agriculture is still in its primary stage. The structure of organic products is monolithic, product categories are few, most are primary products such as raw grain and raw fruit, there are very few series of deeply processed products, and the market supply cycle is short and transportation is difficult. In our country's market, primary organic products account for 80%, while processed products account for only 20%. Even so, most of these are the simplest processed products. In countries with developed organic industries, more than 80% are processed products. The ideal structure of organic products should be: 80% processed products and 20% primary fresh products, such as vegetables and fruits.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
In the sales segment, there is no leading sales channel or market platform. It is diversified, small, and fragmented, and ordinary people do not know where they can actually buy genuine organic agricultural products. In developed countries, before 2000 there were still quite a few specialty stores, but afterward they basically all relied on supermarkets.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Reporter: What are the paths to solve these problems?文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Du Xiangge: In the face of these problems, first of all, the issues of product production and product quality must be solved, and research, demonstration, and promotion of key production technologies must be strengthened. Because organic food prohibits the use of chemically synthesized substances in the production process, it inevitably requires relatively high production technology to match it. Only through advanced science and technology can these technical problems be solved and can organic agriculture develop faster and better. Second, the state should carry out reasonable policy guidance and regulation. In response to the development momentum of organic agriculture in China, it should formulate a series of development plans and regulate its development, and give farmers certain economic support during the transition period from conventional agriculture to organic agriculture. Third, organic products must shift from selling products to selling brands. Leading enterprises must be cultivated and brands built so that the market price of organic products can be stabilized and the problem of homogeneous and disorderly competition can be solved. For example, for organic rice, Wuchang rice from Northeast China has already become a well-known brand. Organic tea has also begun to build brands, such as Anxi Tieguanyin, Wuyi Dahongpao, and Xinyang Maojian.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
The development potential of organic agriculture is very great.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Reporter: From this point of view, the prospects for our country's organic agriculture are still very bright.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
Du Xiangge: Of course. The development potential of our country's organic agriculture is still very great. First, relevant national policies are becoming more complete, administrative supervision is being strengthened, and social attention is increasing. Second, industrial capital is entering, promoting the industrialization of organic agriculture and forming a complete chain from production to market. Third, a new middle class is rising. The consumption concepts of the post-80s generation (mainly the post-85s) and the post-90s generation are ahead of their time, and they pay more attention to health. They will be the main consumers of organic agricultural products.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/
(Reprinted from: Farmers' Daily)文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11354/