Chinese premier stresses strengthening agricultural production, disaster prevention

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has stressed improving the capacities of comprehensive agricultural production, as well as disaster prevention and reduction, to lay a solid foundation for ensuring food security.

Li said in a recent instruction that as the country's most regions have entered a critical period for winter and spring farmland construction, it is urgent to restore farmland facilities damaged by flood and other disasters, improve the water conservancy infrastructure, and enhance agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also urged efforts to improve farmland quality management so that more eligible farmland will be upgraded into high-standard farmland.

The premier's instruction was conveyed on Tuesday at a national video conference on farmland water conservancy construction in the upcoming winter-spring period and high-standard farmland construction.

Addressing the meeting, Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong highlighted the quality and efficiency in high-standard farmland construction, as well as major water conservancy projects.