Streamline the pricing of agricultural products so that farmers who grow grain and work the land earn a reasonable profit
○ Continuously streamline the pricing of agricultural products so that farmers who grow grain and work the land earn a reasonable profit
○ Promote equal exchange of factors between urban and rural areas, and steadily advance the granting of urban resident status to rural migrant population
○ Fully protect farmers' land contract management rights; farmers must not be restricted or forced to transfer contracted land
○ For some time to come, farmers' incomes should at least grow in step with urban residents' incomes, and strive to exceed them
Beijing, December 22 (Xinhua) -- The two-day Central Rural Work Conference closed in Beijing on the 22nd. The conference earnestly implemented the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, systematically summarized the achievements in agricultural and rural development in 2012 and over the past 10 years, deeply analyzed the new situation and new challenges facing the work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, focused on accelerating the development of modern agriculture and further enhancing rural development vitality, and comprehensively deployed agricultural and rural work for the current period and the period ahead.
The Party Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to this conference. Before the conference, the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the executive meeting of the State Council and the meeting of the Central Rural Work Leading Group specifically studied the conference documents and set clear requirements for agricultural and rural work.
The conference discussed the "Several Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Accelerating the Development of Modern Agriculture and Further Enhancing Rural Development Vitality (Discussion Draft)." Vice Premier Hui Liangyu attended the conference and delivered a speech.
The conference pointed out that in 2012, the whole country earnestly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the central authorities and completed all goals and tasks for agricultural and rural development. Grain output achieved a "ninth consecutive increase," farmers' incomes achieved a "ninth consecutive rapid growth," and rural people's livelihood improved greatly. This carried forward and continued the gratifying momentum of sustained and rapid progress in the work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers since the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Over the 10 years, China's agricultural and rural development overcame various difficulties and risks and challenges and ushered in another "golden period." The great practice of rural reform and development over the 10 years opened a new epoch in the history of agricultural and rural development, initially blazed a path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, and made important contributions to enriching and developing the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The conference pointed out that it is necessary to accurately grasp the strategic arrangements of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China regarding the work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers. At present, the weakest link in China's modernization drive is still the lagging modernization of agriculture; the most prominent contradiction in the economic and social system is still the obvious obstacle of the urban-rural dual structure; and the most serious constraint in the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects is still the excessive gap between urban and rural development and between residents' incomes.
The conference stressed that it is necessary to ensure national food security and the effective supply of important agricultural products. At present and for some time to come, as agricultural production enters a new stage of high costs, high risks and tightening resource and environmental constraints, it is necessary to continuously increase investment in agriculture and enhance agriculture's comprehensive production capacity, disaster prevention and mitigation capacity and sustainable development capacity; to continuously streamline the pricing of agricultural products so that farmers who grow grain and work the land earn a reasonable profit; and to continuously increase agricultural subsidies so that they become an effective policy tool for developing agriculture.
The conference stressed that it is necessary to actively innovate the system and mechanism for agricultural production and operation. At present and for some time to come, in accordance with the requirements of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a new type of agricultural operation system combining intensification, specialization, organization and socialization must be built. It is necessary to "hold one bottom line," namely fully protect farmers' land contract management rights, and farmers must not be restricted or forced to transfer contracted land. It is necessary to "grasp two keys," namely focus on cultivating new types of operating entities, not only guiding ordinary farming households to raise their level of intensification and specialization, but also supporting joint-household operations, specialized large-scale farmers and family farms; and focus on developing various forms of new-type farmers' cooperative organizations and diverse service entities, so as to achieve effective connection with the market by raising the degree of organization.
The conference stressed that it is necessary to intensify overall urban-rural development. At present and for some time to come, efforts must be further intensified to channel resources and factors toward rural areas, gradually narrow the urban-rural development gap, and form a new type of worker-peasant relationship in which industry promotes agriculture, cities support the countryside, workers and peasants benefit each other, and urban and rural areas are integrated. It is necessary to accelerate the equalization of basic public services between urban and rural areas, promote equal exchange of factors between urban and rural areas, steadily advance the granting of urban resident status to rural migrant population, and safeguard farmers' legitimate rights and interests.
The conference stressed that it is necessary to focus on promoting farmers' income growth in the "income doubling" effort. For some time to come, farmers' incomes should at least grow in step with urban residents' incomes, and strive to exceed them. It is necessary to strategically study and adopt comprehensive measures, create favorable environmental conditions, and continuously open up employment paths and broaden channels for increasing income.
The conference pointed out that next year is the opening year for fully implementing the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and continuing to do a good job in the work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers is of special importance. The goals and tasks for next year's agricultural and rural work are: "ensure supply, increase income and benefit people's livelihood; reform and innovation add vitality." That is, it is necessary to ensure another bumper harvest of grain and other important agricultural products, ensure that the momentum of farmers' income growth does not weaken, continue to improve farmers' production and living conditions, further remove institutional obstacles restricting agricultural development, and stimulate rural development vitality.