Wen says farmers must profit more from growth
Source: Xinhua |
December 28, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China must give its hundreds of millions of rural residents a bigger share of profits from farmland seized in the name of economic growth, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday.
Wen also warned government officials not to force villagers to give up their farmland rights even if they join the rising tide of migrants heading to towns and cities for work.
Wen was speaking at the opening of the annual central conference on rural work in Beijing.
He said that after decades of rapid growth underwritten by farmland taken for relatively little compensation, it was time for China to tilt in favor of the farmers.
"We should recognize that our country's level of economic development has risen far, and we can no longer sacrifice farmers' land property rights for the sake of lowering the costs of industrialization and urbanization," he said. "We must, and also have the conditions to, dramatically increase the share of gains that goes to farmers from enhancing the value of land."
As a country with a large population, agricultural modernization is equally important as urbanization and industrialization to China, Wen told the conference.
"Any slight failure in agriculture will hamper the country's economic development and social stability," he said.
Agricultural work was of particular significance next year, faced with the complicated macro economic condition and the dual pressures of an economic slowdown and rising inflation, Wen said.
He said more effort should be made to protect farmers' rights in land properties, income distribution, employment, social security and public services.
The construction of new socialist rural areas remained a significant task, and there was still a lot work to be done to bridge the development gap between rural and urban regions and boost overall agricultural production capacity.
Wen said China should stick to the "most strict" protection of farmland and water resource management while constantly promoting agricultural science and technology.
Farmers should enjoy the legal rights of land contracts, land use and collective income distribution as basic protections, whether they moved to the city or stayed in the countryside, he said.
"No one is empowered to deprive such rights," Wen said.
Wen called for more efforts to encourage farmers who are literate and skilled at farming to stay in the countryside and contribute to long-term agricultural development.
He also stressed improvements in rural school conditions that would allow rural children to enjoy a quality education.
"The removal and merging of schools should be treated very prudently, fully considering convenience and safety of student commuting," he said.
Wen urged more measures to help migrant workers settle down in places where they are employed, while transferring industries to central and western regions, as well as smaller cities and towns, to allow more farmers to find jobs near their hometowns.
The conference is set to map out policies for next year's agricultural and rural development, specifying policies such as boosting grain production, raising the minimum state purchasing prices of grain, and increasing subsidies to grain growers.
Wen also warned government officials not to force villagers to give up their farmland rights even if they join the rising tide of migrants heading to towns and cities for work.
Wen was speaking at the opening of the annual central conference on rural work in Beijing.
He said that after decades of rapid growth underwritten by farmland taken for relatively little compensation, it was time for China to tilt in favor of the farmers.
"We should recognize that our country's level of economic development has risen far, and we can no longer sacrifice farmers' land property rights for the sake of lowering the costs of industrialization and urbanization," he said. "We must, and also have the conditions to, dramatically increase the share of gains that goes to farmers from enhancing the value of land."
As a country with a large population, agricultural modernization is equally important as urbanization and industrialization to China, Wen told the conference.
"Any slight failure in agriculture will hamper the country's economic development and social stability," he said.
Agricultural work was of particular significance next year, faced with the complicated macro economic condition and the dual pressures of an economic slowdown and rising inflation, Wen said.
He said more effort should be made to protect farmers' rights in land properties, income distribution, employment, social security and public services.
The construction of new socialist rural areas remained a significant task, and there was still a lot work to be done to bridge the development gap between rural and urban regions and boost overall agricultural production capacity.
Wen said China should stick to the "most strict" protection of farmland and water resource management while constantly promoting agricultural science and technology.
Farmers should enjoy the legal rights of land contracts, land use and collective income distribution as basic protections, whether they moved to the city or stayed in the countryside, he said.
"No one is empowered to deprive such rights," Wen said.
Wen called for more efforts to encourage farmers who are literate and skilled at farming to stay in the countryside and contribute to long-term agricultural development.
He also stressed improvements in rural school conditions that would allow rural children to enjoy a quality education.
"The removal and merging of schools should be treated very prudently, fully considering convenience and safety of student commuting," he said.
Wen urged more measures to help migrant workers settle down in places where they are employed, while transferring industries to central and western regions, as well as smaller cities and towns, to allow more farmers to find jobs near their hometowns.
The conference is set to map out policies for next year's agricultural and rural development, specifying policies such as boosting grain production, raising the minimum state purchasing prices of grain, and increasing subsidies to grain growers.
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