Zoomlion Involved in Formulating the National Agricultural Machinery Industry's Thirteenth Five-Year Development Plan

"Build a common research platform, enhance independent innovation capabilities; construct a national-level common testing platform, promote the spread of new and efficient agricultural machinery...." On December 9, work to formulate the agricultural machinery industry's Thirteenth Five-Year Development Plan officially began at Zoomlion. More than 30 agricultural industry experts and academics from around the country gathered to discuss the Chinese agricultural machinery industry's Thirteenth Five-Year Development Plan and usher in a new golden era for the agricultural machinery industry. 

China's agricultural machinery industry has experienced a golden deca8de since government subsidies to purchase agricultural machinery were introduced in 2004. Thanks to rigid growth in market demand and strong promotion from government policies, China's agricultural machinery industry has experienced ten consecutive years of double-digit growth to become a thriving industry. By 2015, the Twelfth Five-Year Plan will have achieved two quantitative indicators: the total power of agricultural machinery will have reached one billion kilowatts (having been achieved ahead of schedule in 2012) and more than 60% of plowing, sowing and harvesting will be done using mechanized techniques (also expected to be achieved ahead of schedule this year, with a total level of 61%). 

China is currently in a critical period for accelerating the transformation of traditional agriculture and striving to develop a modern agricultural industry. The agricultural industry presents major development opportunities, with experts predicting that national agricultural industrial output will exceed RMB 400 billion by 2015. The size of the Chinese agricultural market has attracted international capital, with international agricultural giants flocking to the country. At the same time, the domestic construction machinery and automotive industries have invested in the field of agricultural machinery, which has accelerated the pace of mergers, acquisitions and investment. Back in 2013, Zoomlion proposed building a development pattern involving the simultaneous development of five major sectors, including construction machinery and agricultural machinery, using technology, branding and marketing advantages developed in the field of construction machinery in the production of agricultural machinery. "In the future, the agricultural machinery sector will use Zoomlion Group's industrial strength, advantages in technological innovation and brand influence to integrate global agricultural R&D and manufacturing resources, accelerate entry into the high-end agricultural machinery market and seize domestic market share, and use Zoomlion's global layout to expand overseas and strive to become a globally competitive total solutions provider for the mechanization of agricultural production," Zoomlion vice president, deputy general manager of the Zoomlion Heavy Machinery Company and executive director of the China Agricultural Machinery Association, Li Jiangtao said. 

Several problems also exist within China's agricultural machinery industry, including "excess capacity for traditional agricultural machinery products, but also a supply shortage of new agricultural machinery." There is also an uneven mix of good and bad manufacturers, with the overall characteristics of companies in the industry being summed up as "numerous, small, scattered and weak." And there is still a large gap between the range and functions of China's agricultural machinery products compared with developed countries. Therefore, experts believe that the agricultural machinery industry has entered an inevitable period of adjustment and the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan must establish a new vision and new development and accelerate a shift within the industry from mid-to-low- to high-end products. 

During the meeting, participants also visited Zoomlion's Lugu Industrial Park and the country's first construction machinery exhibition hall, which enhanced their understanding of a variety of Zoomlion's world record-breaking and industry-leading products and the company's technological innovation and strength in low-carbon, green, efficient and smart products.

（Zoomlion vice president and deputy general manager of the heavy machinery company Li Jiangtao (front right) giving a speech at the meeting ）