Tibetannet

Grain output in Tibet has reached a historic high, exceeding one million tons to 1.01 million tons in 2015, with about 700 thousand tons of highland barley.

Du Jie, Director of the Tibet Ministry of Agriculture, said that, in 2015, Tibet used measures such as increasing farming acreage, increasing the promotion of certified seeds, and implementing scientific farming initiatives, etc., to achieve a historic breakthrough in grain output. In 2015, more than 2.55 million mu of grains were planted in Tibet, with more than 1.87 million of them as highland barley. In addition, a new type of crop, “The Tibet Highland Barley 2000,”was planted in 769 thousand mu, which has a higher output of 26.5 kg per mu, greatly assuring the continued growth of highland barley output in Tibet.

Tibet is also expanding policies which benefit farmers, thereby giving farmers more motivation for growing crops. In 2013, farming subsidies for growing certified highland barley was raised from 15 yuan/mu to 20 yuan/mu, and grain subsidies increased from 15 yuan/mu to 30 yuan/mu, while combined farming subsidies went from 15 yuan/mu in 2011 to the current 27.87 yuan/mu.

"In addition to grain-growing subsidies, farmers can also pick up free fertilizers, and technicians often come to the field to help advise on farming. The Ministry of Agriculture has also bought seeding and harvesting equipment for us.” Dawa, a farmer in Dechen Village of Lhasa City’s Tolung Dechen County said. “We enjoy all kinds of beneficial policies from planting to harvesting."

Tibet will continue to expand the growing of certified crops to more areas, and improve the combined farming capability for farming and animal husbandry in order to assure that Tibet’s grain output will stay above one million tons during the "13th Five Year Plan" period, keep highland barley’s output at above 700 thousand tons, and maintain the industrialization rate for farming and animal husbandry operations at more than 50%, so as to assure the supply of major farming and animal products, as well as to improve farmers and herders’ income.

Tibet is on the world’s plateau, with severe weather, extreme cold, and lack of oxygen, plus the farming industry’s relative backwardness have all contributed to low output in grains. The region has historically relied on shipping grains from inland China to solve its grain supply problem. In recent years, Tibet has strengthened its beneficial farming policies, cultivated new varieties of highland barley and wheat, while constructing high-standard farms and fields to ensure the steady supply of grain output and basically achieving self-sufficiency in grain-output.