The State Council approved establishing a national agricultural high-tech industry demonstration zone in Changchun, capital of Northeast China’s Jilin province, according to an official reply released on April 28.

Covering an area of 139.39 square kilometers, the demonstration zone will fully implement innovation-driven development strategies and rural revitalization strategies, the circular said.

Taking green and recycling agriculture in the Songnen Plain as the theme and corn as the leading industry, it strives to build a pilot area with efficient grain production and quality improvement, a model area for sustainable development of black-soil land, a cluster area for the development of the whole corn industry chain, and a model area for rural revitalization, according to the circular.

The circular urged exploring and demonstrating high-quality development of the whole corn industry chain in Songnen Plain, sustainable development of black-soil land, deep integration of agriculture, science and technology, and tech-driven rural revitalization, to create replicable and expandable experiences.

Building the demonstration zone must strictly follow national spatial planning, practice systems for protecting cultivated land and conserving intensive land use, and implement regulations on compensation and resettlement, the circular added.