China aims for steady, relatively fast rural, agri development

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BEIJING, Dec 29 (Xinhua): China concluded its annual two-day central rural work conference yesterday with a pledge to give priority to maintaining steady and relatively fast rural and agricultural development, ensuring supplies of farm produce and facilitating income increases for farmers in 2009.
Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu attended the conference and delivered a speech.
The conference stressed that rural areas have the biggest potential for China to boost domestic demand and, to maintain steady and relatively fast economic growth, the foundation lies with agriculture. Farmers are the focus of efforts to safeguard and improve people's social welfare.
The conference sets four major tasks for next year's agricultural work.
First, great importance should be laid on enhancing the foundation of the agriculture sector and stabilising agricultural production.
There should be no letup in promoting grain production. Meanwhile, efforts shall be made to adjust agricultural structure, promote industrialisation, improve infrastructure, and step up agricultural product safety work, according to the conference.
Major projects include building cotton production bases in the Yangtze River valley and Huanghe, Huaihe and Haihe plain and accelerating application of machinery and modern technology in agricultural production.
It is estimated that China yielded a record 528.2 billion kilograms of grain this year, 26.9 billion kg, or 5.4 per cent, higher than last year's figure, representing an annual grain output growth for the fifth consecutive year.
Policy makers also said that infrastructure construction projects in both urban and rural areas should employ as many migrant rural workers as possible in 2009. Additional jobs for public benefit should be provided to migrant workers first.
Second, an array of measures would be taken to promote the growth of farmers' income.
Farmers' annual per-capita net income is estimated to reach 4,700 yuan (687.1 US dollars) this year, up eight per cent or so in real term from the previous year level. The annual growth rate of farmers' income exceeded six per cent for five years in a row.
Attendees agreed the government would continue raising the minimum purchasing price for grain, increase subsidies for agricultural production, raise main agricultural product reserves, stabilise agricultural products price and give high importance to the employment of returning migrant workers next year.