China will strive harder to develop rural areas by conducting a
stable rural policy and continuing to extend rural reform,
according to a two-day central conference on rural work that ended
in Beijing Wednesday.
The conference attended by leaders of the Communist Party of china
and the central government and local officials in charge of rural
work urged efforts to maintain a stable policy toward rural
development with the key task of ensuring farmers' long-term legal
land-use rights.
Farmers should be considered the main body of the market and the
land contract relationship should be respected, the conference
stressed.
The conference called for further reform of taxes and charges in
rural areas, and reform of grain purchasing and marketing
systems.
Effective methods to subsidize agriculture and farmers were also
called for.
The country has tried to support agriculture, especially the main
food producing zone.
The conference demanded accelerated reform of the rural financial
system and improved financial services.
(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2003)