In 2008, Chinese food crops planting areas covered 106.70 million hectares, 1.06 million hectares more than 2007; cotton planting areas 5.76 million hectares, 170,000 hectares less; oil crops planting areas 12.71 million hectares, 1.39 million hectares more; sugar planting areas 1.93 million hectares, 130,000 hectares more. Timber yield amounted to 78.94 million cubic meters, up by 13.2%, throughout the whole year, the newly increased effective irrigated areas stood at 1.179 million hectares and the newly increased water-saving irrigated areas 1.390 million hectares.

  In 2008, Chinese animal husbandry production won over a series of severe challenges including the southern severe chilling icy rain and snow freezing disaster, Wenchuan earthquake and Sanlu powder milk case, smoothed away one-after-another difficulties and realized sustainable and steady development in trouble. The standardized scale cultivation in the agriculture areas developed rapidly, and in 2008 Chinese cultivation communities broke through 80,000; pastures, half pastures, shelter feeding and half shelter feeding were steadily boosted, with more than 30 million heads of livestock being stable breeding in shelter feeding or half shelter feeding from natural pastures.

  The forestry industry continuously maintained a strong momentum of development. In 2008 the planting areas stood at 71.57 million mu, up by 22.1% year-on-year; the forestry enterprise above designated size exceeded 15,000 ones. The annual forestry yield value of Zhejiang , Guangdong and Fujian exceeded RMB100b. Voluntary afforestation of 2.31 billion trees was completed. The forest management was further strengthened, with the supply seedling rate of forestation bases raised to 63%, the utilization rate of fine seedlings raised to 51% and the qualification rate of seedling planting stabilized to more than 95%. Quota management for expropriation of forestry was implemented, with resource management and protection increasingly strengthened.

  In 2008, import and export trade of Chinese marine products steadily developed in trouble, with the whole year's import and export of 6.848 million tons, valued at USD16.02b, up by 4.9% and 10.7% year-on-year respectively. Among them, export amounted to 2.965 million tons, down 3.2% year-on-year; export amount reached USD10.61b, up by 8.9% year-on-year, with the growth rising by 4.8% compared with 2007. Import 3.884 million tons, and import amount USD5.4b, up by 12.1% and 14% year-on-year respectively, with the favorable balance of USD5.21b, USD 190m more than the same period of 2007. The export amount of marine products continuously held the first position among the export of a large quantity of agricultural products, accounting for 26.2% of the total agricultural products export, equivalent to the level of 2007.

  With respect to utilization of foreign investment, in 2008, the foreign investment projects utilized by the agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery amounted to 917 ones, down 12.5% year-on-year, with the actually utilized foreign capital of USD1.19102b, up by 28.89% year-on-year. It can be seen that the agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery have a huge potential in the aspect of utilizing foreign investment.

  Wenchuan tremor not only caused great damages to the people's lives and properties but seriously hampered the economic development of agriculture and the countryside. The agricultural departments quickly made responses and took anti-earthquake and disaster relief as the most urgent task, with one hand focusing on the agricultural earthquake relief work and great efforts being exerted to boost the recovery and development of agriculture in earthquake-hit areas; with another hand centering on agricultural production to ensure the healthy development of other agricultural products. The Ministry of Agriculture set up one headquarters at the very first time, assigned expert teams, appropriated a RMB 15m of anti-epidemic expenditure and deployed nearly one thousand tons of materials badly needed in earthquake-stricken areas, including disinfectants, pesticides and disinfecting apparatus. Leaders and experts from the Ministry of Agriculture came to the earthquake-hit areas to make investigations and guidance, featured with quick action, early witness of matters, strong measures and good effects, to render the agricultural earthquake relief work to make the by-stage effects.

  In the wake of Sanlu powder milk case, suffering the most serious losses are dairy farmers. For such situation, the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance jointly printed and distributed the Circular on Practically Doing Well in Provisional Assistance to Key Areas Especially Dairy Farmers in Difficulty and granted temporary assistance subsidy capital of RMB 300m to dairy farmers in 6 main dairy production provinces including Inner Mongolia and Hebei . And at the same time, all provinces (prefectures) appropriated the finance supporting capital of about RMB 780m to help dairy farmers overcome difficulties, get through difficult points and stabilize production.

  In the agricultural disaster prevention and reduction as well as emergency management, the Chinese Party Central Committee and the State Council paid much attention, with policies actively followed and the agricultural departments resolutely implemented and carried out them, which rendered the ability of the agricultural departments to cope with all kinds of disasters and emergencies to be significantly strengthened, thus effects were obviously intensified to offer important guarantee for the purpose of preventing the violent ups and downs of agricultural production.