No.1 central document targets rural issues

The Chinese authorities on Thursday issued its first policy document for 2013, underlining the importance of accelerating modern agricultural industry and rural areas' development.

Ensuring grain security and an effective supply of farm products will always be a top priority in China's development of modern agriculture, according the policy document.

China should never slacken agricultural production, said the document, adding that works should be done to accelerate the development of modern agricultural industry and strengthen both material and technical support for agricultural development.

The document also underlined the need to help rural migrant workers become urban residents, calling it an important task for the country's urbanization.

China will accelerate reforms in its rural land expropriation system to better protect the legal rights of those living in rural areas. Farmers should be entitled to a higher proportion of the value increases of expropriated land, and their long-term interests should be ensured.

The document promises to improve registration systems for farmer's management rights of contracted land and aims to complete the work in five years. The registration is intended to offer legal proof to farmers in cases of land transfers.