The two-day Central Conference on Rural Work closed in Beijing on January 6. The meeting pointed out the importance of restructuring of agriculture and the rural economy as China enters the new century.

The meeting stressed that agriculture and the rural economy andthe income of farmers must be improved. "This is the central task of our country's agricultural and rural economic development."

The meeting concluded that in the past year China recorded goodharvests and witnessed an increase in farmers' incomes. Social stability was also maintained in rural areas.

Restructuring agriculture and the rural economy aims to improve the quality of agricultural products, optimize the layout of rural economic regions, realize the sustainable development of agriculture and the coordinated development of urban and rural economies. Restructuring is thus critical to China's economic development.

The restructuring is crucial to China's national economic development, the meeting stressed.

According to sources close to the meeting, the restructuring will involve an overall improvement of the quality of agriculturalproducts, accelerating the development of animal husbandry and agricultural product processing, optimizing the layout of agricultural regions and restructuring rural labor force.

Governments at all levels are required to concentrate on four major tasks during the restructuring. These are the building of a rural market system, rural scientific and technological advancement, industrialized management of agriculture and the construction of towns.

Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao made a speech at the conference on agricultural and rural work as well as related policies and measures for 2000.