North China's Shanxi province recently issued its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for Digital Agricultural and Rural Development, according to the Shanxi Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on July 6. 

The province aims to raise the agricultural production informatization rate to 35 percent, make sure that the online retail sales of agricultural products account for 13 percent of the total transaction value of agricultural products, and the rural internet coverage reaches 85 percent by 2025. 

The plan clarifies the four major tasks of building an agricultural and rural big data system, a smart agricultural production system, a digital system for the entire agricultural industrial chain, and an information system for rural public services.

The plan also proposes six major projects related to digital agricultural innovation and application, the online sale of rural agricultural products, agricultural and rural big data, the construction of digital agricultural and rural innovation centers, and the cultivation of professionals in digital agriculture and rural affairs.