Original Title: Notice of the General Office of the People’s Government of Shandong Province on Issuing the Implementation Plan for the Action to Address Shortcomings in Agricultural Machinery Equipment in Shandong Province
To thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, fully implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council regarding the improvement of agricultural machinery equipment standards, and in light of the actual conditions of our province, this Implementation Plan has been formulated.

I. Action Objectives

Over the next 5 to 10 years, we aim to fundamentally master the manufacturing technologies for key core components of agricultural machinery, achieve a self-sufficiency rate of over 70%, and establish capabilities for independent design, testing, and coordinated supply chain support of complete machines. Large-scale agricultural machinery will generally achieve real-time diagnosis of malfunctions and operational quality, as well as remote monitoring. The overall technical capabilities of agricultural machinery will rank among the top in the country, and high-end agricultural machinery will reach internationally advanced levels.We will foster and expand six agricultural machinery industrial clusters with distinct competitive advantages and coordinated industrial chains, cultivate 2–3 leading enterprises with strong competitiveness in agricultural machinery equipment, and achieve an output value of 100 billion yuan for the agricultural machinery industry. We will plan and construct a number of regional agricultural machinery service centers that provide precise and efficient services, promote the application of intelligent high-end agricultural machinery equipment, and stimulate market demand.

II. Key Tasks

(I) Agricultural Machinery Equipment Science and Technology Innovation Initiative.

1. Basic Research on Agricultural Machinery Equipment. Focus on fundamental theories, software, materials, and processes related to agricultural machinery equipment, and strengthen basic and applied basic research. (Led by the Provincial Department of Science and Technology, in cooperation with the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

2. Technological Innovation in Agricultural Machinery Equipment. Utilize existing funding channels to support major technological innovations in agricultural machinery equipment. Accelerate research and development of key technologies—such as power systems, transmissions, electro-hydraulic systems, and intelligent control systems—as well as core components and parts. Enhance self-sufficiency in key components and the capacity for independent R&D of intelligent, efficient, and resource-saving agricultural machinery equipment, thereby producing a series of high-level achievements. (Led by the Provincial Department of Science and Technology, with support from the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

3. Construction of Agricultural Machinery Innovation Platforms. Strengthen the development of major industry innovation platforms, including agricultural machinery technology innovation centers, key laboratories, and manufacturing innovation centers. Further improve innovation mechanisms, refine the collaborative innovation system integrating industry, academia, research, promotion, and application, and establish an innovation system with a rational tiered structure that covers the entire industrial chain to enhance the industry’s capacity for sustained innovation. (Led by the Provincial Department of Science and Technology, in cooperation with the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

(II) Agricultural Machinery Equipment Industry Upgrading Initiative.

4. Strengthening and Filling Gaps in the Agricultural Machinery Supply Chain. Focus on building, extending, filling gaps in, and strengthening the supply chain to promote integration and coordination between upstream and downstream sectors. Adhering to a strategy of prioritizing provincial needs while maintaining a national perspective, further refine the agricultural machinery supply chain map and 13 specific lists—including key enterprises, competitive products, supporting enterprises, areas to build on strengths, and areas to address weaknesses—to effectively “link more links, more enterprises, more products, and more factors into a cohesive chain,” thereby substantially enhancing the resilience of the industrial and supply chains.(Led by the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, with support from the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

5. Cultivate high-quality agricultural machinery enterprises. Promote the growth and strengthening of leading enterprises and corporate groups with strong technical capabilities, significant market share, and robust international competitiveness. Support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in pursuing a development path characterized by “specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation.” Upgrade existing agricultural machinery processing and manufacturing equipment, improve manufacturing processes, and build smart factories and digital workshops for agricultural machinery to enhance capabilities in online monitoring, online control, and full-lifecycle quality assurance.Cultivate anchor enterprises within the industrial chain and develop more than 30 distinctive enterprises. (Led by the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, with support from the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the People’s Bank of China Jinan Branch)

6. Cultivate Agricultural Machinery Equipment Industry Clusters and Build a Sound Industrial Ecosystem. Strengthen and cultivate six distinctive agricultural machinery industry clusters in Weifang, Liaocheng, Rizhao, Linyi, Jining, and Qingdao—areas with prominent advantages and synergistic industrial chains—actively strive to become a national advanced manufacturing cluster for agricultural machinery equipment, and serve and integrate into the national high-horsepower tractor industrial chain development initiative.Gradually build an agricultural machinery equipment industrial ecosystem led by large enterprises, supported by small and medium-sized enterprises, and characterized by enhanced industrial scale and efficiency. (Led by the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, in cooperation with the Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

(3) Agricultural Machinery Application Scenario Development Initiative.

7. Addressing Urgent Demand for Agricultural Machinery. Focusing on weak links across different industries and crop varieties, compile a demand-oriented catalog of agricultural machinery. Increase the supply of suitable agricultural machinery, accelerate the elimination of shortcomings in equipment for hilly and mountainous areas, specialty crops, livestock, poultry, and aquaculture, protected agriculture, and primary processing of agricultural products, and comprehensively enhance the level of agricultural mechanization. (Led by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with support from the Provincial Department of Finance)

8. Improving the Quality of Agricultural Machinery. Formulate and revise a set of key common technical standards and application management specifications; explore the establishment of inspection and testing platforms for key components by third-party and certification bodies; improve testing and inspection conditions; enhance the capacity for testing and certification of agricultural machinery; strengthen quality investigations of key agricultural machinery in use; conduct regular quality supervision and spot checks on key components and complete machines; and improve the suitability, safety, and reliability of agricultural machinery. Strengthen intellectual property protection and crack down on intellectual property infringement and the production and sale of counterfeit and substandard goods.(Led by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in cooperation with the Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)

9. Integration of Agricultural Machinery and Farming Techniques. To address weaknesses in the integration of machinery and farming techniques, establish approximately 20 pilot projects annually for the integrated application of agricultural machinery and farming techniques. These projects will be organized by crop type, select appropriate varieties, recommend suitable equipment, and match them with specific farming practices to ensure compatibility between cultivation and breeding models, crop varieties, and agricultural machinery, thereby improving the level of integration. Strengthen the preparation and construction of arable land and its adaptation for machinery use to improve conditions for agricultural machinery operations. (Responsibility: Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)

10. Building Capacity for Socialized Services. Establish “Full-Process Mechanization + Comprehensive Agricultural Services” centers, explore new models and business formats for agricultural machinery information services, and enhance “one-stop” comprehensive agricultural service capabilities covering pre-production, in-production, and post-production stages.Optimize agricultural machinery financial services; promote “agricultural machinery loans” or other customized financial products to support new types of agricultural operators in purchasing advanced and suitable agricultural machinery. Secure land for agricultural facilities such as machinery storage, maintenance, and drying. (Led by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; supported by the Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Department of Natural Resources, Provincial Local Financial Administration Bureau, Shandong Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau, Qingdao Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau, and the People’s Bank of China Jinan Branch)

III. Support Measures

11. Improve the organizational implementation mechanism. Fully leverage the role of the provincial-level coordination mechanism for agricultural mechanization development. Each member unit shall, in accordance with its assigned responsibilities, research and formulate policy measures to enhance the level of agricultural machinery within its department, thereby fostering a synergistic effort. Major issues shall be reported to the provincial government in a timely manner. (Led by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; supported by member units of the provincial-level coordination mechanism for agricultural mechanization development)

12. Accelerate the promotion of new agricultural machinery products. Continue to leverage policies such as insurance compensation for the first-of-a-kind (set) equipment and subsidies for the purchase and application of agricultural machinery. Include more new agricultural machinery products within the scope of the first-of-a-kind (set) equipment and agricultural machinery purchase and application subsidies to support the accelerated promotion and application of new agricultural machinery products. (Led by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with support from the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Provincial Department of Finance)

13. Strengthen talent development. Encourage universities to enhance the development of disciplines and majors in the agricultural machinery field. Relying on initiatives such as the Outstanding Engineer Cultivation Special Action and the “Double Ten Thousand Plan” for building first-class undergraduate programs, continuously improve the quality of agricultural machinery talent cultivation. Strengthen the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program, ensure the proper training of government-funded agricultural science students, and guide and encourage college graduates to seek employment and start businesses in the agricultural machinery sector. Strengthen the development of agricultural mechanization expert teams, as well as vocational education and skills training in agricultural mechanization.(Responsibility lies with the Provincial Department of Education, the Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, and the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in accordance with their respective duties)