On Nov 11, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Areas of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convened a consultation meeting on this year's efforts concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

The meeting, focusing on facilitating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, brought together CPPCC National Committee members and representatives from relevant departments.

CPPCC National Committee Vice-Chairman Hu Chunhua attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Zhu Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, presented an overview of the relevant circumstances, as well as thoughts for future actions.

A number of CPPCC National Committee members and experts provided suggestions on speeding up the development of rural industries to guarantee the supply of agricultural products and increase farmers' incomes, promoting the robust development of the seed industry through the development of new quality productive forces, and increasing policy support to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and enrich rural areas. They also shared ideas on helping returned migrant workers find high-quality jobs, effectively promoting high-standard farmland construction, management and usage, facilitating the application of artificial intelligence to agriculture, and building a convenient and effective system for commercial agricultural services.

Representatives from relevant departments discussed the suggestions with the CPPCC National Committee members.

The members highlighted studying and implementing the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. More attention should be paid to accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and promoting the comprehensive rural vitalization, they said.

They also stated that more in-depth research needs to be conducted on major issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, such as comprehensively developing rural industries, strengthening rural construction, and enhancing equal access to rural public services, with a focus on safeguarding the national food security. CPPCC members should propose suggestions and policy recommendations based on research so as to contribute wisdom and strength to building China into an agricultural powerhouse, they added.

Officials from the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs participated in the consultation, along with a number of CPPCC National Committee members and representatives from related sectors.