A press conference was held on September 18th by the municipal government information office to unveil the plans for the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival celebrations in Heze. Officials from the Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau and the People's Government of Cao County detailed the overall schedule, guiding principles, distinctive features, and preparatory progress for the series of festive activities, also taking questions from the media.

Key speakers at the event included Liu Jiandong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Heze Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau; Li Min, Deputy Director of the same bureau; and Wang Aihua, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy County Mayor of Cao County People's Government, who also serves as the Party Committee Secretary of Zhuangzhai Town. The briefing was moderated by Chen Xinzhen, Deputy Director of the Heze Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, Director of the Municipal News Office, and Head of the Municipal Party Committee Lecture Group.

During the briefing, it was announced that the main celebration for the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival in Heze will take place on the morning of September 21st at Wangji Town in Cao County. The on-site events will feature a range of activities, including a public cultural performance celebrating the harvest, an exhibition and sales fair for specialty agricultural products, a display of modern agricultural machinery, and centralized sessions for explaining agricultural policies. The event has specially invited representatives honored with titles such as "Qilu Rural Star" and recipients of the National Award for Agricultural Technology Promotion Contribution from the National Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries Harvest Prize. Through on-site interactions and sharing of their impactful stories, the aim is to further inspire farmers to actively participate in rural revitalization efforts.

In parallel, the city will also organize leading producers of high-quality agricultural goods to participate in the main provincial celebration held in Rizhao for the 2026 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival. This platform will be used to showcase and promote iconic Heze specialty products, including Yaoshun Peony, Shanxian lamb soup, Cao County asparagus, and Hengchang beef, fully demonstrating the strength of Heze's agricultural sector and the brand image of its premium agricultural offerings to a wider audience.

This year's festival adheres to three core principles in its organization. The first is highlighting the central role of farmers, respecting the notion that it is a festival for and by the farmers themselves. The stage is handed to them, and the spotlight is on them, ensuring they are the true protagonists and showcasing the enterprising spirit of farmers in the new era. The second principle focuses on practicality and benefiting the people. Strictly adhering to the requirement for frugality, the approach emphasizes simplicity, economy, and practicality without adding burdens to grassroots levels. The celebration is integrated with the practical needs of the public, aiming to ensure farmers gain tangible benefits and a sense of fulfillment through concrete measures such as technology promotion, policy briefings, and product sales. The third principle is deepening empowerment through the festival. Rooted in Heze's rich agricultural culture, the festival serves as a platform for exhibition and sales, promoting awareness and commerce through the event. This aims to transform the festival's attention and traffic into tangible outcomes like increased agricultural efficiency, enhanced rural vitality, and higher farmer incomes.

The festival is themed "Harvest Opens New Horizons, Hard Work Promotes Rural Revitalization" and is guided by principles of adapting to local conditions, practicality, frugality, safety, and order. Tailored to the city's specific circumstances, the celebration will focus on three main segments: harvest gala events, an agricultural product exhibition, and agricultural policy promotion. The harvest gala segment will present cultural performances favored by the public to portray a promising scene of agricultural abundance, harmonious rural life, and the well-being of the people. The agricultural product exhibition segment will feature four themed zones. The premium agricultural products zone will gather specialty items from various counties and districts. The modern agricultural machinery zone will showcase intelligent new equipment such as DJI drones and tractor-assisted driving systems. The modern animal husbandry zone will promote various high-quality livestock and dairy products. Lastly, the modern fishery zone will display famous regional aquatic products from the Yellow River basin, including Yellow River carp and soft-shelled turtles, offering a comprehensive view that spans from farm to table and from traditional production to smart agriculture.

The agricultural policy promotion segment will concentrate on invigorating agriculture through science and technology, benefiting farmers through favorable policies, and protecting agriculture according to the law. At the site, efforts will be made to provide easy-to-understand explanations regarding the Fourth National Agricultural Census, clarifying its purpose, targets, content, and timeline. The segment will also highlight the positive development trends in the city's people's livelihoods, agricultural production, and residents' income and expenditure since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Concurrently, there will be popularization and promotion of new agricultural technologies to facilitate the transition of scientific achievements into practical applications. Policy briefings on agricultural law enforcement, agrotechnical services, and agricultural insurance will be conducted for the grassroots level, ensuring that various policies beneficial to farmers reach the fields and households directly.

Currently, preparations for the main celebration site have entered the final sprint phase. The main stage and audio-visual equipment are completed, and cultural performances are undergoing rehearsals. The hard infrastructure for booths showcasing specialty agricultural products from the city and counties, as well as the eight major industry exhibition areas, is in place, with activity drills currently underway. Environmental improvements, festive atmosphere arrangements, and signposting around the venue have all been finalized. Support plans, including security contingency measures, traffic management, and designated parking areas, have been formulated. Going forward, relevant departments will continue to conduct re-examinations for potential risks and refine details, ensuring the main event is hosted to a high standard with quality execution, guaranteeing its safe, orderly, and successful conclusion.