National Agricultural Science and Technology Park of Lvliang City (Xiaoyi), Shanxi Province

The National Agricultural Science and Technology Park of Lvliang City (Xiaoyi), Shanxi Province is located in the west of Xiaoyi City, 5 kilometers away from the city center, with Fenyang-Shilou Expressway in the west, Fenyang-Xiaoyi Expressway in the north, and Xiaoyi-Liulin Railway running through the middle region, enjoying geographical advantages and convenient transportation. Founded in 2006 and housing 38 enterprises at present, the park has been successively designated as the National Demonstration Center for Agricultural Products Processing, Shanxi Provincial Science Education Demonstration Center, Shanxi Provincial Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site, and Provincial Demonstration Park of Agricultural Science and Technology. In November 2017, the park passed the acceptance check by the Ministry of Science and Technology for the fifth batch of national agricultural science and technology parks, officially ranking among those parks.

1. Planned Distribution

According to the planning of Xiaoyi Economic Development Zone, the agricultural park is divided into north district and south district. On the one hand, the north district consists of an integrated service center of the park, the Xiaoyi-Liulin Railway landscape belt, a development axis of the industrial park formed along Xiaoxing Street, and two clusters formed according to the industrial distribution for the intensive processing of agricultural products, and the demonstration and promotion of agricultural science and technology. On the other hand, the south district consists of a service center that integrates administrative, cultural, medical, commercial and other functions into one, two development axes of the industrial park formed along Xinyu Road and Jianye Road, and three clusters formed according to the industrial distribution for the intensive processing of agricultural products, the demonstration and promotion of agricultural science and technology, and the integrated utilization of agricultural by-products.

2. Institutional Settings

In February 2006, with the approval of the Establishment Committee of the CPC Xiaoyi Municipal Committee, the Management Committee of Gaoyang Agricultural Science and Technology Park in Lvliang City was established (XBZ [2006] No. 4). In 2011, with the approval of Xiaoyi Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government (XZBF [2011] No. 7), the Management Committee of Gaoyang Agricultural Science and Technology Park in Lvliang City changed its name to the Management Committee of Xiaoyi Modern Agricultural Park in Shanxi Province. In 2013, with the approval of 6 ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the name was changed to National Agricultural Science and Technology Park of Lvliang City (Xiaoyi), Shanxi Province (GKNF [2013] No. 573).

The park management committee consists of general office, project service department, industrial development department, and affairs coordination department. The general office is responsible for comprehensive coordination and supervision of daily administrative affairs, to be specific, undertaking secretarial work, conference affairs, party affairs, finance, human resources, and archives, establishing and improving rules and regulations, and managing office attendance and day-off. The project service department is responsible for facilitating the implementation of preferential policies for attracting investment and talents for the development zone; building a project library and preparing project brochures, publicity pamphlets and audio-visual materials for investment promotion; participating in investment promotion activities, and economic and trade negotiation; carrying out negotiation, demonstration, review, signing and implementation of the projects to be implemented in the park; and providing preliminary services for site selection, feasibility study, project establishment, environmental impact assessment, land appropriation, and planning. The industrial development department is responsible for cooperating with relevant functional departments on supervising enterprises in corporate management, safety, environmental protection, labor employment, party building and publicity; tracking the statistics of enterprises' business status, and improving enterprise archives; implementing policies and assisting enterprises in declaration of projects; trying best to help enterprises solve practical problems in production and operation. The affairs coordination department is responsible for the management, maintenance and service coordination of public facilities (including water supply, power supply, gas supply, roads, communications, greening, etc); managing the logistics of the office and the operation of the science and technology service center.

3. Development Environment

The construction of software and hardware is an important condition for the park to attract investment. Therefore, we have focused on innovating mechanisms and increasing investment in infrastructure construction, policy support, and management services. In terms of infrastructure construction, after a total of RMB 378 million was invested, a standard road network with three east-west and five north-south main roads has been built in the park, with its total mileage reaching 19.34 kilometers, of which all the roads have been equipped with green belts, lighting facilities and decorative elements. The land within the core area has been generally leveled up, to which roads, electricity, water supply and drainage, heating, communications, Internet, and natural gas are accessible. The service capacity of the park has been further enhanced after the successive completion of construction projects such as a 35kv substation, a water works with a daily output of 50,000 tons, and the science and technology service center. In terms of policy support, an integrated policy support system has been established in land occupation, brand promotion, and technological innovation. In particular, the enterprises having settled in the park enjoy policy support individually, and have been given priority in land acquisition and other procedures. In terms of management services, the project construction of the settled enterprises has been in the charge of the first assigned person and completed within the time limit, relevant procedures before the completion and commissioning have been handled on behalf of the enterprises, and the problems and difficulties during the construction have been actively addressed for the enterprises. In addition to carrying out external publicity through television, newspapers, Internet and other media, the enterprises have been guided to establish exclusive exhibition halls of agricultural by-products in more than 20 provincial capital cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou, and organized to participate in national and provincial expos (trade fairs) of distinctive agricultural products, thus improving the popularity and market influence of the park's products.

4. Competitive Industries

So far, the park has developed eight characteristic industrial chains of walnuts, fruits and vegetables, corn, minor coarse cereals, broilers, ducks and liquor, and eco-tourism. It fostered a batch of national and provincial leading agricultural enterprises such as Xiaoyi New Hope Liuhe, Shanxi Yiguo Food, and Shanxi Yanggao Wine, and put in place a one-stop business model of cultivating, producing, storing and selling agricultural products, and a development pattern of "leading enterprises + production centers + farmers". There are more than 280 kinds of products made in the park, 33 of which have never been produced in China and have reached the country' leading level. In 2019, the park achieved an output value of RMB 1.577 billion and a profit and tax of RMB 110 million.

With scientific and technological innovations taking the lead in development, we have actively built a platform that integrates enterprises, universities and research institutes, promoted cooperation between enterprises and research institutes, strengthened technological development, talent introduction, personnel training, and cooperation and exchanges, to improve the core competitiveness of enterprises and products in the park. Up to now, the enterprises in the park have established long-term and stable partnership with 46 universities and research institutes including China Agricultural University and Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and hired 71 experts and professors as enterprises' technical consultants. The park's enterprises and the organizations they cooperate with have undertaken 37 scientific research programs, and yielded 14 award-winning achievements, 11 appraised results, and 19 approved varieties, obtained 47 national patents, issued and implemented 50 various standards, acquired 12 new technologies, developed or introduced 20 new varieties, and promoted more than 200 new technologies.

We have made every effort to promote the construction of a national demonstration park for integrated development of rural industries under the thinking of industrial integration, with the primary industry laying emphasis on local characteristics, the secondary industry working on transformation, and the tertiary industry focusing on services. First, based on the endowment of agricultural resources and with market demand as the driver, we have focused on adjusting the structure of agricultural industries, and given priority to the development of the industries such as "high-quality walnuts, green vegetables, local minor coarse cereals, and efficient farming", to further optimize the primary industry, and consolidate the foundation of agricultural industries. Second, we have accelerated the development of enterprise clusters in agricultural products processing, thereby turning advantages in agricultural resources into industrial strengths. With a focus on enhancing leading agricultural enterprises in strength, we have built a whole industrial chain from agricultural products, processing, to consumer goods, to drive the development of industries such as vegetables, seedlings, and animal husbandry, increase agricultural output value and added value, and ensure that the secondary industry grow stronger. By attracting surrounding farmers to participate, we have established an operational mechanism that integrates planting, breeding and processing, production, supply and marketing, domestic and foreign trade, agriculture, science and technology, and education, with the market leading enterprises, the enterprises leading production centers, the centers connecting farmers. We have created an interest linkage mechanism between leading enterprises and farmers, and formed three stable cooperation modes, including "enterprises + farmers + production centers", "enterprises + cooperatives + farmers", and "enterprises + farmer brokers + farmers", opening up a new way to increase farmers' income and wealth and sharing the value-added revenue of integrated development of industries. Third, we have added the functions of agricultural production, leisure lifestyle, eco-friendliness, and cultural publicity, and implemented the "Agriculture +" development model that combines agricultural management with scientific research, production experience, rural tourism, eco-tourism, farmhouse catering, and online express delivery, so as to make the tertiary industry grow stronger.

After over a decade of development, the park has gradually expanded in industrial scale, developed leading enterprises clusters, increased farmers' income, and greatly improved its various capabilities. In the future development, following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and with the goal of "building a first-class national agricultural science and technology park and a demonstration park for the integrated development of rural industries", we will further carry out the strategy of "building a project-driven industrial park with prosperous business", improve infrastructure construction, and increase the level of comprehensive supporting services. Meanwhile, we strive to expand and strengthen existing industries, accelerate the upgrading of leading industries, actively introduce emerging industries such as agricultural leisure tourism, e-commerce and modern service industries, and build a new pattern of industrial development, making contributions to the transformation and leap-forward development of Xiaoyi City.