Wen's gov't work report at the Second Session of the 11th NPC

3. Consolidating and strengthening the position of agriculture as the foundation of the economy, and promoting steady development of agriculture and continuous increase in rural incomes

We will focus on the following five areas.

First, we will steadily develop grain production. We will effectively keep the area planted in grain crops stable, focus on increasing the yield per unit area and optimizing the variety mix, and increase the country's grain production capacity by 50 million tons.

Second, we will adjust the agricultural structure based on market demand. We will support the production of important agricultural products in short supply, and improve the quality, profitability and competitiveness of agricultural products. We will speed up implementation of the new plan for developing agricultural products in regions with the most suitable conditions. We will support the growing of oil bearing and other cash crops in areas with the most suitable conditions. We will stabilize hog production, implement the plan for reinvigorating the dairy industry, and promote large-scale, standardized, healthy farming practices in animal husbandry and aquaculture. We will strengthen the prevention and control of major animal and plant epidemics.

Third, we will intensify development of agricultural infrastructure and projects designed to improve the lives of rural people. We will develop land on a large scale and comprehensively improve farmland, water supplies, roads, and forests. We will upgrade low- and medium-yield farmland and develop farm plots that meet high standards. We will speed up the reinforcement of large and medium-sized reservoirs and dangerous key small reservoirs. We will further improve irrigated areas and build more small water conservancy facilities. By the end of next year, we will have basically paved the roads linking all towns and townships across the country and all incorporated villages with the proper conditions in the eastern and central regions and will have completed the construction of roads connecting all incorporated villages with the proper conditions in the western region. In addition, we will provide safe drinking water to another 60 million people and methane to an additional five million households. We will continue to improve rural infrastructure, including power grids, postal service, and telecommunications, and intensify development of rural social programs.

Fourth, we will increase rural incomes in a variety of ways. We will vigorously develop modern agriculture with distinctive local features, support intensive processing and sale of agricultural products, develop rural secondary and tertiary industries, accelerate the development of small towns, and strengthen county economies.

Fifth, we will intensify our efforts to alleviate poverty through development. This year, a new poverty line will be adopted and all low-income rural residents will be covered by the poverty relief policy. The threshold will be increased to 1,196 yuan per person on average, and coverage will be extended to include 40.07 million recipients. This marks the beginning of a new stage in China's efforts to reduce poverty through development. We need to improve state poverty relief strategies and policies, increase funding, and steadfastly make development the basis of poverty reduction. We will give priority to eradicating poverty at the village level, training rural residents for nonagricultural employment, and reducing poverty through industrial development and relocation of residents so that the poor get the basic necessities, escape poverty, and become prosperous.

We will take the following measures to comprehensively strengthen our work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

First, we will greatly increase funding for agriculture and rural areas. Central government allocations for agriculture, rural areas and farmers will total 716.1 billion yuan this year, a year-on-year increase of 120.6 billion yuan. We will significantly increase funding for rural public facilities in the central and western regions, and relieve governments at and below the county level of the burden of providing supporting funds for them. Greater priority will be given to major grain-producing areas in implementing the policies and measures supporting grain production. More general transfer payments and financial rewards will be provided to major grain-producing counties and greater support given to projects for industrializing grain production.

Second, we will significantly raise minimum grain purchase prices and keep the prices of agricultural products stable at a reasonable level to encourage farmers to grow more. This year the floor price for the purchase of wheat and rice will be increased by 0.22 yuan and 0.26 yuan per kilogram on average respectively. We will apply policies in a timely fashion to temporarily purchase and stockpile major agricultural products to build up reserves of grain, cotton, edible oil and pork, and strengthen regulation of the farm products market.

Third, we will further increase agricultural subsidies. Central government funding for these subsidies will total 123 billion yuan, an increase of 20 billion yuan over last year. Direct subsidies to grain producers will continue to increase. We will increase subsidies for the use of superior seed varieties, raise subsidy levels, make subsidies available to all rice, wheat, corn and cotton growers, extend them more widely to canola and soybean farmers, and start to subsidize tea-oil tree planting. The central government will spend 13 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of nine billion yuan, on subsidies to all agricultural and pastoral counties (farms) throughout the country for purchasing agricultural machinery and tools. We will promptly increase general subsidies for agricultural supplies to coordinate with price rises and changes in the acreage planted in various crops.

Fourth, we will speed up development of a new system under which various sectors of society provide services for agriculture. We will increase spending on agricultural science and technology, intensify efforts to expand application of innovations in agricultural science and technology and become better able to provide agriculture-related technical services. We will improve public service agencies charged with promoting application of agricultural technologies, preventing and controlling animal and plant epidemics, and monitoring the quality of agricultural products at the local level. We will support supply and marketing cooperatives, specialized farmer cooperatives and pacesetting enterprises in providing diverse production and operation services.

Fifth, we will stabilize and improve the basic rural operation system. We will ensure that existing land contract relationships remain stable and unchanged for a long time to come, and enhance and better protect the land contract and management rights enjoyed by rural residents, including migrant workers who are away from their home villages. The transfer of land use rights must occur on a compensated, voluntary basis and be conducted in accordance with the law. We will adhere to and apply the strictest possible systems for protecting arable land and economizing on the use of land, and do everything in our power to keep the total amount of arable land above the red line of 120 million hectares. Reform of the system of collective forest rights will move forward. Overall rural reform will be deepened. We will accelerate reform of town and township government departments and work actively yet prudently to ease the debts of townships and villages.