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Pinghu, Jiaxing, Zhejiang province is included on a list of counties strong in rural innovation and entrepreneurship. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Pinghu, a county-level city in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, received national recognition for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas, according to news released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) on Dec 31, 2019.

In order to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas, 100 counties across the country were selected by the MARA as leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship, and Pinghu is the only county in Jiaxing to receive the award.

In recent years, Pinghu has been making great efforts to advance scientific innovation in the agricultural sector and accelerate the development of the agricultural industry, with a new agricultural industrial system being established in the city. The new system integrates leisure agriculture, agricultural processing, and digital agriculture, making Pinghu a model for agricultural development.

In the past three years, the city has carried out 35 agricultural science and technology projects at or above the provincial level, including the 24 National Spark Program. Pinghu is now home to 1,244 model households for agricultural (fishery) science and technology.

Additionally, the city has promoted the construction of rural entrepreneurship and innovation parks. The Pinghu Agricultural Economic Development Zone, the first of its kind in Zhejiang, generated an output value of more than 50 million yuan in 2018 and was listed as a national "strong town" for the agricultural industry.

Pinghu has also continued to improve its service system, offering various types of services related to policy advocacy, technical guidance, information, and allocating production factors. To date, the city has cultivated 49 leading agricultural enterprises and more than 1,000 family farms and  specialized farmer cooperatives.