Xi stresses agricultural development for epidemic control, economic and social growth

President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to prioritize issues concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers and improve weak links in order to provide strong support for winning the war to prevent and control the epidemic, as well as attaining objectives and targets set for economic and social development of the whole year.

"The more risks and challenges we face, the more we need to stabilize agriculture and ensure the safety of grain and major non-staple foods," Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction on spring farming in the country.

Xi highlighted organizing timely spring farming in an all-out effort to secure a bumper summer grain harvest while rigorously implementing the differentiated epidemic control measures in accordance with local conditions and risk levels.

Employees of an agricultural cooperative work in a farm for its contractor who fails to come back in time for spring farming due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease, in Yongfeng Village, Tongxiang City of east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 25, 2020. Local authorities offer a solution to farm contractors absent from spring farming due to the virus by promoting farm mandate. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will step up policies supporting grain production to keep sown areas and grain output stable, Xi said.

In this regard, efforts will be made to optimize modern rural infrastructures including high-yield farmland and water conservancy and agricultural mechanization projects, raise agricultural technological innovation capability and speed up promotion and application, and enhance the capability of grain production and disaster prevention and mitigation.

A community worker delivers food to a local resident at Tanhualin community in Wuchang District in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 9, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

He also noted solid work on the prevention and control of major plant diseases and insect pests and animal diseases to ensure farm security.

Meanwhile, the country will speed up hog production and address the difficulties to resume production targets, Xi said.

Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged local departments to earnestly implement Xi Jinping's instructions to coordinate epidemic control with economic and social development while facilitating spring farming preparations.

The above instructions were delivered to the national teleconference on spring farming held Tuesday in Beijing, which was attended by Vice Premier Hu Chunhua.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, underscored coordination between rural epidemic control and spring agricultural production, urging those involved to tackle the protruding issues in spring farming to ensure a victory in summer grain production.