Chinese Vice Premier Wen Jiabao has called for further efforts to restructure the country's agriculture and develop rural economy. "China's agriculture and rural economy has entered a new developmental stage," he said, adding that it is of the utmost importance to develop high-efficiency agriculture, protect the initiative of farmers and raise their income. During an inspection tour of Hainan Province from December 9 to 12, Wen stressed that more efforts are needed to improve the popularization of high-quality grain seeds and develop animal husbandry and fishery in Hainan. "Varieties of grain should be diversified and grain production should not only concentrate on producing a high output but also quality that will meet market demands," he said. Wen also stressed the importance of agricultural infrastructure and the improvement of ecology, saying that more investment should be injected into water conservancy construction, afforestation, improving highways, electricity networks, water supply and telecommunications in rural areas. Wen also urged greater efforts for increasing farmers' income by restructuring agriculture and improving circulation of agricultural products. |