Policy & RegulationAnalysis

China Releases 15th Five-Year Plan for Supply and Marketing Cooperatives

The state-backed network targets 1,000 county distribution hubs and expanded agricultural services by 2030 to bolster food security.

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The Brief

China has unveiled the 15th Five-Year Development Plan for its national supply and marketing cooperative system, outlining strategic targets through 2030 to reinforce food security and modernize rural services. According to reports from state media outlets Xinhua and People's Daily, the policy sets out 18 priority tasks to build strategic reserve networks, upgrade county distribution centers, and promote eco-friendly agricultural inputs. By modernizing infrastructure and expanding socialized farming services across major grain-producing counties, Beijing aims to stabilize agricultural input prices, lower production hurdles for smallholders, and enhance supply chain resilience.

Why it matters

As China's primary state-backed network for agricultural input distribution, the supply and marketing cooperative system is central to maintaining stable prices for fertilizers, pesticides, and machinery services. The new Five-Year Plan establishes a clear quantitative roadmap to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities, cut production costs for small farmers, and protect national food security against market volatility.

China context

Against the backdrop of China's rural revitalization strategy and its campaign to increase national grain production capacity by 100 billion jin, upgrading the supply and marketing co-op network serves as a critical policy tool for agricultural supply-side reform. The government is leveraging traditional state-linked cooperative networks to construct an integrated, environmentally sustainable distribution and service architecture across rural regions.

Editor's View

EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting. The policy blueprint highlights Beijing's reliance on state-coordinated logistics to mitigate agricultural supply shocks. By focusing on county-level distribution hubs and standardized service centers, the plan directly addresses the fragmentation of China's smallholder agricultural sector. While scaling socialized services beyond 300 million mu-times offers clear operational efficiencies, the success of the initiative will depend on seamless local execution and operational integration between state co-ops and local agricultural enterprises.

What to watch

  • Construction and renovation progress on the initial batch of 20 strategic reserve warehouses and over 200 county distribution centers scheduled for 2026.
  • The rollout details of the 'green agricultural inputs' scheme aimed at improving fertilizer and pesticide utilization rates.
  • Progress toward establishing 1,000 standardized agricultural service centers across major grain-producing counties.

Key Takeaways

  • 1China released the 15th Five-Year Development Plan for Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, setting key goals through 2030 across 18 priority tasks.
  • 2The plan targets building or renovating around 100 national strategic agricultural input reserve warehouses and 1,000 county distribution centers.
  • 3For 2026, the co-op system aims to complete approximately 20 strategic reserve warehouses and over 200 county distribution centers.
  • 4The plan sets targets to renovate 1,000 standardized agricultural service centers and scale socialized farming services beyond 300 million mu-times.
  • 5A 'green agricultural inputs' program will promote water-soluble fertilizers, slow-release fertilizers, and biopesticides to boost resource efficiency.
State media reported on August 1, 2026, that the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives has officially released the 15th Five-Year Development Plan for the national supply and marketing cooperative system. The policy document sets out 18 priority tasks centered on safeguarding national food security and advancing rural revitalization through 2030. As the primary channel for agricultural input distribution in China, the co-op network plans to construct or renovate approximately 100 national strategic agricultural input reserve warehouses and around 1,000 county-level distribution centers, focused heavily on major grain-producing counties. This nationwide logistics backbone will be organized around 'six horizontal, seven vertical, and two along' circulation corridors designed to strengthen supply capabilities and stabilize market prices. For 2026, the system targets the completion or upgrading of approximately 20 strategic reserve warehouses and more than 200 county-level distribution hubs. To support national targets for expanding grain capacity, the plan introduces an integrated 'agricultural inputs + technical support + farm services' model. This initiative aims to address common smallholder challenges, including high machinery procurement costs and operational difficulties. Over the five-year period, the co-op system aims to establish or renovate 1,000 standardized agricultural service centers while expanding its socialized farming services—covering plowing, planting, crop protection, and harvesting—to exceed 300 million mu-times. The blueprint also prioritizes sustainable development by launching an upgrade scheme for 'green agricultural inputs.' The plan promotes the adoption of water-soluble fertilizers, slow- and controlled-release fertilizers, and biological pesticides to raise input efficiency across the agricultural sector. Overall, the plan establishes a comprehensive framework spanning production, logistics, and recycling services. By integrating physical infrastructure with localized technical support, the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives aims to reinforce its role as a key stabilizing force in China's agricultural economy.