A modern dairy industrial system should be built covering safeguards for production, operations and quality, Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua said when inspecting agricultural and rural development in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province from July 18 to 20.

With favorable natural conditions for breeding cows, Heilongjiang is an important base for high-quality milk, as its production volume of milk powder and baby formula ranks first in China.

Hu visited Qiqihaer city’s Gannan county and Fuyu county and Harbin’s Shuangcheng district, inspecting cattle farms, dairy farmers’ cooperatives, large-scale pastures, dairy enterprises and dairy industry research centers.

He learned about standardized large-scale breeding, sales of fresh milk, production and quality management of infant formula, and talked with farmers, enterprise managers, researchers and local officials about the industry’s development.

The vice-premier underlined the supply and production efficiency of dairy products, and pointed out the importance of improving the construction of a breeding base with a premium supply of foraging grass.

The farmer-centered operating system should be promoted and more family ranches should be established, Hu pointed out, while support should be given to cooperatives and breeding farms to establish their processing plants.

He urged local governments to provide more supportive measures to introduce professionals, and to encourage innovation and research in enterprises. Moreover, a comprehensive quality supervision mechanism should be built, and there should be crackdowns on violations of the law.

During his inspection tour, Hu also learned about the situation for soybean production. He stressed that agricultural development should rely on quality and the market, as well as an improved production structure.

Farmland and technology are key for grain output, so we should keep improving them to safeguard our nation’s food safety, Hu added.