I. BACKGROUND AND PRUPOSES
At the end
of the 1970s, the reform of economic institution first
started in rural areas in China. Th e family output related
contract responsibility system was established and has
aroused the farmers' enthusiasm for getting rich through
hard working and brought about a significant change to the
production relations in the rural areas. Since the beginning
of the 1980s, the township industries have developed rapidly
and the rural economy has become active unprecedented. The
specialization and commercialization of agricultural
production have made the framers more and more aware of the
importance of science and technology, and hence the
requirements for sciences has widely emerged in the rural
areas, In March 1986, the Chinese government started the
reform of scientific and technological institution in the
whole country, further clarifying the policy for the
development of science and technology, "Economic
construction must rely on science and technology and
scientific and technological workers to be oriented toward
rural economy, extend research achievements of science and
technology to rural areas and help develop the rural economy
China is a large agricultural country with the rural
population occupying 80% of the national total , and to
solve the problems of agricultural, rural areas and farmers
is needed by realizing the modernization of China and
promoting the development of rural productive force. In May
1985, the Ministry of Science and Technology submitted to
the State Council a suggestion to "implement a batch of
scientific and technological projects of quick benefit so as
to promote local economy ", in which the proverb
"A single spark can start a prairie fire " was
quoted, hence came the name of Spark Progrmme, meaning that
the spark of science and technology will extend over the
vast rural areas of China. The Chinese government approved
the implementation of this programme in early
1986.
The Spark Progamme is the first programme
approved by the Chinese government to promote the
development of rural economy by relying on science and
technology and is an important component of plans for the
national economic and scientific and technological
development, The purpose of the programme is to introduce
advance, appropriate technologies into the rural areas and
lead the farmers to rely on science and technology of
science and technology in the rural areas, promote rural
productivity, and expedite the sustainable, rapid and
healthy development of agriculture and rural
economy.
II THE MAIN CONTENTS
1.
Support a large number of technical projects that use rural
resources, need small amounts of investment, have quick
benefits and advanced and appropriate in
technology.
(1) Establish demonstrative science
and technology guided enterprises in order to guide township
enterprises to develop healthily and provide demonstration
for the adjustment of rural industrial and product
structures;
(2) Develop a batch of complete
sets of equipment appropriate for rural areas and township
enterprises and organize batch production;
(3)
Train rural technicians, managerial talents and farmer
entrepreneurs;
(4) Develop high yield, high
quality and highly effective agriculture and promote the
construction of rural socialized service systems and the
development of rural economy of scale.
2.
Establish spark technology intensive
zones.
They are demonstrative zones for
comprehensive regional economic development of rural areas,
that is, in certain economic areas, the quality and benefits
of economic growth are realized based on the progress of
science and technology according to the purpose of the Spark
Programme, the elements of management, technology, talents
and funds are integrated, the elements of production are
funds are integrated, the elements of production are
optimally allocated to form industries, the structure of
products is rationalized, and progress is realized in all
the aspects of economy, science and technology and
society.
3. Develop spark regional mainstay
industries. They are the industries in certain economic
areas that develop, step by step , based on the progress of
science and technology, play a guiding function for
extending science and technology to rural areas on a large
scale, develop the dominant products based on regional
resource superiority, carry out intensive , appropriate
scale and industrialized management and occupy a
considerable proportion in regional economy.
4.
The implementation of the Spark Programme has attracted
attention of many countries, in particular developing
countries, foreign countries and international organization,
such as UNDP, ESCAP, the World Bank and EEC, MAKE CONTACT
WITH THE Chinese government on this programme, the loan from
the World Bank in support of this programme in 1991 has
resulted in significant benefits. The implementation of the
Spark Programme has gained support internationally and the
advanced technologies and products of the programme have
been exported to and are popular in various places in the
world. The Spark enterprises have a sound environment for
investment and foreign capital is welcome to invest in the
programme, The experiences of success of the Spark Programme
have been consulted by many countries, in particular leaning
their experiences of management of medium and small sized
enterprises and technical development, and learning and
importing advanced, appropriate technologies and equipments
fit for rural development, The Spark Program will also
conduct more extensive cooperation and exchange with foreign
countries and international organizations to make joint
contribution to the prosperity and progress of the
world.
III. GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND FOCAL POINTS
OF DEVELOPMENT OF SPARK PROGRAMME
The overall
goals of the programme are to guide the rural areas to get
onto the track of development based on the progress of
science and technology and the improving of laborers'
quality, help the rural areas to realize the goals of rich
material life, developed public utilities and synchronous
development of material and cultural civilization and
construct socialist, modernized new rural
areas.
1. The Development Objectives of the
Programme for Year 2000
(1) Totally bring up
300 rural regional mainstay industries with main technical
economic indexes reaching the advanced level of same
industries in the country, in which 100 each have more then
1 billion yuan of annual output;
(2) Establish
100 national level spark technology intensive zones and make
the rate of science and technology progress contribution
reach 50%
(3) Totally train 30 million man
times of rural practical technology and managerial personnel
and emphatically bring up 5,000 township entrepreneurs and
rural economy leading personnel ;
(4) Totally
implement 100.000 middle level Spark projects, including 800
projects at the national level, with more than 90% of the
national counties covered by the programme;
(5)
Bring up a batch of Spark demonstrative enterprises adopting
modern enterprise systems and international
practices;
(6) Form few sectoral Spark
enterprise groups;
(7) Develop a number of
famous brands Spark products holding certain shares in
domestic and foreign markets; and
(8) Produce
500 billion yuan of annual added value and 50 billion yuan
of tax and profit, and produce or save US$ 10
billion.
2. Focal Fields of Technical
Development in the Ninth Five Year Plan Period
During the Ninth Five year Plan period, the
Spark Programme will follow the principles of management by
level, guidance by kind and stressing key fields while
paying attention to others and emphatically support ten
fields of technical development in the country as
follows:
Crop planting, breeding, deep
processing of agricultural products, agricultural chemical
industry, new agricultural equipment, light and textile
industries, rural building materials, industries as support
to major industries, environmental protection, development
of mineral resources.
IV
MANGENENT
Management by the four levels of the
state, province (including province, autonomous region and
ministry) prefecture and county is implemented for the Spark
Programme, The Office of Spark Programme in the Ministry of
Science and Technology is the department in charge of the
overall management of the Spark Programme in the country,
responsible for the formulation of related general and
specific policies, development strategies and medium to long
term development plans and the national annual plans for the
Spark Programme, and responsible for the guidance and
coordination of the implementation, The departments for the
management of the Spark Programme in the science and
technology commission of provinces, prefecture and counties
are responsible for the formulation of related general and
specific policies, development strategies and medium to long
term development plans for the Spark Programme of the
region, department or sector and responsible for the
management work such as organization of evaluation and
application of project..
The Spark Programme
sticks to standard of selecting advanced and appropriate
technologies and selects projects for the programme
according to the principle of advanced technologies, small
amount of investment and quick benefits. Usually, it is an
enterprise that applies for and assumes the project, but the
enterprise must guarantee that there are one to tow research
agencies, The funds of the Spark Programme are mainly raised
at local levels, dominated by loans, and the state provides
appropriate amounts of fund to serve as
guide.
V The GUARNANTEE
MEASURES
1. To persist in taking the Spark
Programme as one of the governmental actions and strengthen
the governmental leadership and
coordination;
2. To expand sources of
technologies and promote the technical
level;
3. To establish and improve market
support systems;
4. To expand investment
channels and increase investment;
5. To
stabilize the teams for the programme and strengthen the
management;
6. To consolidate and improve
enabling policy systems;
7. To strengthen spark
training and the research on soft sciences.
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