No.1 central document targets rural issues for 9th year

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Chinese authorities Wednesday issued its first policy document for 2012, underscoring the importance of scientific and technological innovation for sustained agricultural growth.

To ensure an effective supply of agricultural products is vital to the country's overall and strategic development amid the complicated global economic situation, deepening influence of global climate changes and increasing shortages of arable land and water at home, the document said.

It said the authorities would continue to increase investment and subsidies for the agricultural sector this year to stabilize grain production. The government would play a leading role in financing agricultural scientific and technological innovation.

Efforts would be made to encourage development of both frontier agricultural technologies and basic researches. Meanwhile, local authorities would work to improve rural community services to extend advanced technologies to each household and build a practical talent team, said the document.

In addition, the government vowed to construct more water-conservation facilities in rural areas and continue to increase funding for the projects in a bid to boost agricultural development.

As renewed measures to facilitate rural market circulation, the government would encourage banks to increase lending to rural regions and support commercial banks to set up township outlets. At the same time, it would work to keep prices of agricultural commodities at a reasonable level, the document said.

Despite remarkable achievements in improving agricultural production and the livelihoods of rural residents in 2011, China now faces growing difficulties and uncertainties in securing a stable development of rural areas, said the document, the ninth of its kind since 2004 to address rural problems.