Literally ‘new-style agricultural operating entities’, they include large professional households, family farms, cooperatives and leading agricultural enterprises. Since the term appeared in 2012, agricultural policies, subsidy adjustments, and land trading reforms have systematically and often explicitly favoured these entities. Officials refer to ‘moderate-scale’ agribusinesses to distinguish them from small-scale farming operations, deemed inefficient, and large conglomerates, deemed exploitative.
The cartoon shows government policy (the red folder) driving its favoured new-style ag entities (the four small cogs) which drive agriculture (the large cog).