BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong has stressed the need to step up disaster prevention and mitigation in agricultural production and make every effort to secure a bumper harvest this year.
Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks Friday during a video conference at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on autumn grain production and disaster control.
He called for close monitoring of potential disasters, timely forecasts and early warnings, and targeted technical guidance. All measures to stabilize and increase grain yields should be implemented, he noted.
Strong efforts should be made to guard against and respond to meteorological disasters, crop diseases and pests in the latter stages of autumn grain production, and minimize disaster-related losses, Liu said.
Timely assistance should be provided to households at risk of falling or relapsing into poverty due to disasters, he said, calling for continued efforts to improve farmland irrigation and drainage channels and strengthen the management of flood-prone areas on plains.
Post-disaster agricultural production should be restored in light of local conditions, and the development of high-standard farmland should be advanced with high quality, according to the vice premier.
Liu also visited Hebei Province on Thursday to inspect autumn grain growth, high-standard farmland development, agricultural supplies and weather services for agriculture. ■
