China pledges hefty investment to boost agriculture
Friday, 6 March 2009
BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua): Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged today to add another 120 billion yuan to boost the country's agriculture.
Addressing nearly 3,000 lawmakers at the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress, Wen said in his government work report that central government spending on agriculture, farmers and the rural areas would total 716.1 billion yuan (104.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 120.6 billion yuan.
Calling agriculture the "foundation of the economy", Wen said the investment was part of a package plan to ensure steady and rapid economic development against the global financial crisis.
The money would be used for improvement or construction of rural public facilities, expanded agricultural subsidies to farmers, subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery and tools, and popularizing agricultural science and technologies.
"We will effectively keep the area planted in grain crops stable, focus on increasing the yield per unit area and optimizing the variety mix, and increase the country's grain production capacity by 50 million tons," he said.
China, with a population of 1.3 billion, is faced with severe challenges in safeguarding grain security due to rising living standards, decreasing arable land, water shortages and climate change.
Continuous drop in economic growth rate due to the impact of the global financial crisis has become a major problem affecting the overall situation, Wen said in the work report.
"It has become more difficult to maintain steady agricultural development and keep rural incomes growing", he admitted.
Addressing nearly 3,000 lawmakers at the Second Session of the 11th National People's Congress, Wen said in his government work report that central government spending on agriculture, farmers and the rural areas would total 716.1 billion yuan (104.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 120.6 billion yuan.
Calling agriculture the "foundation of the economy", Wen said the investment was part of a package plan to ensure steady and rapid economic development against the global financial crisis.
The money would be used for improvement or construction of rural public facilities, expanded agricultural subsidies to farmers, subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery and tools, and popularizing agricultural science and technologies.
"We will effectively keep the area planted in grain crops stable, focus on increasing the yield per unit area and optimizing the variety mix, and increase the country's grain production capacity by 50 million tons," he said.
China, with a population of 1.3 billion, is faced with severe challenges in safeguarding grain security due to rising living standards, decreasing arable land, water shortages and climate change.
Continuous drop in economic growth rate due to the impact of the global financial crisis has become a major problem affecting the overall situation, Wen said in the work report.
"It has become more difficult to maintain steady agricultural development and keep rural incomes growing", he admitted.