(ECNS) -- The 2026 National Rural Entrepreneurship Competition finals were held in Xinchang County, Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, from Sunday to Tuesday.
The competition featured two categories — agricultural product processing and new rural industries — and attracted more than 3,600 project entries, with 62 advancing to the finals.
AI and other new technologies are emerging as a powerful driver for rural revitalization, as seen in winning projects such as an AI super protein factory, a smart fishery service platform, and a project focused on starch molecular reconstruction and high-value industrialization. These projects place technological innovation at their core.
Zhang Liqun from Jiangsu, who presented the starch project, said the team developed edible starch-based "plastic" straws and other products using innovative technology for modifying starch molecules. The project has helped increase farmers' incomes by about 10 million yuan (about $1.48 million), Zhang said.
The term "rural entrepreneurs" first appeared in the 2026 No. 1 Central Document, which called for nurturing rural entrepreneurs in line with local conditions. Zhejiang first proposed the concept in 2015 and has since nurtured more than 108,000 rural entrepreneurs, helping over 1 million farmers increase their incomes.
An event matching rural entrepreneurs with resources was held alongside the finals to support the growth of rural startup projects.
(By Tang Yuxian)
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