China opens rural work conference to plan for 2015

BEIJING -- Chinese leaders will review the country's rural and agricultural work in 2014 and map out plans for 2015 during a central rural work conference that began on Monday.

The key annual meeting is expected to discuss major issues such as speeding up new development strategies in agriculture and accelerating the sector's modernization drive, according to analysts.

Despite more than a decade of successful grain harvests, agricultural development is facing increased constraints on arable land and water resources due to overdevelopment, analysts said.

During an economic conference held earlier this month, the country will speed up the development in agriculture, focusing on both quality and quantity. Plans to increase efficiency through use of technology and innovation are expected to bring sector's development onto a sustainable path.

Government data showed China's grain output hit 607.1 million tons in 2014, marking growth for the 11th year. Farmers' per capita net income has also grown to 8,896 yuan ($1,453) last year from 2,622 yuan in 2003, representing a rise of 240 percent during the period.

Meanwhile, more than 60 percent of the current farming work is completed by machinery, up 30 percentage points from 10 years ago. However, this figure still lags behind the level in developed nations.