Xi stresses consolidating agricultural foundation, advancing rural revitalization

BEIJING -- The annual central rural work conference was held in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday, mapping out the priorities of rural work in 2024.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made important instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

In 2023, China overcame comparatively severe natural disasters and other adverse conditions, secured a new record in grain output, ensured a relatively rapid increase in farmers' income, and maintained harmony and stability in rural areas, Xi said.

To advance Chinese modernization, the country must make unremitting efforts to strengthen the foundation of the agricultural sector and advance rural revitalization across the board, he said.

With the experience of the Green Rural Revival Program, efforts must be made to implement specific policies based on actual conditions, take steady and incremental steps to sustain progress, and achieve tangible results in the interest of the people, he said.

Xi stressed that food security must be safeguarded by stabilizing the land acreage for grain production and increasing the yields per unit. Work should be done to establish a diversified food supply system, and the quality of arable land should be improved.

To inject momentum and vitality into agricultural modernization, it is important to strengthen the driving forces of science and technology as well as reform, intensify efforts to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, and improve work mechanism for agriculture, rural areas and farmers, Xi said.

Efforts must be made to ensure smooth restoration and reconstruction work after disasters, enhance the capabilities for disaster prevention, reduction and relief, and avoid the large-scale relapse into poverty, Xi said.

Xi also urged efforts to improve rural industrial development, rural construction and rural governance, and to strive for substantive progress in promoting rural revitalization across the board.

The conference also discussed the draft guidelines made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the learning and applying of the experience of the Green Rural Revival Program to advance rural revitalization.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended and addressed the conference.

The conference underscored utilizing development philosophies, work procedures and promotion mechanisms drawn from the Green Rural Revival Program, focusing on issues that farmers are strongly concerned about, and identifying key drivers for advancing rural revitalization.

It also called for doing a good job in the production of grain and other major agricultural products to ensure that the country's grain output in 2024 stays above 650 billion kg.

Efforts should be made to enhance farmland protection and development, support the establishment of platforms for agricultural science and technology innovation, and increase farmers' income, it noted.

The conference also stressed efforts to shore up weak links in rural infrastructure, called for reform and innovation in rural areas, and encouraged localities to conduct practical exploration and institutional innovation.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends and addresses the central rural work conference in Beijing, capital of China. The annual central rural work conference was held in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu]