A team from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Areas of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) visited East China's Anhui province from Aug 31 to Sept 4 to conduct a survey on improving the effectiveness of policies designed to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and boost rural prosperity. The survey team also held a symposium in Anhui.

Qin Boyong, vice-chairwoman of the CPPCC National Committee and executive vice-chairwoman of the China National Democratic Construction Association Central Committee, led the team.

The team visited Suzhou and Chuzhou, where they held discussions with agricultural researchers, business executives, grassroots officials, and residents, and listened to their opinions and suggestions.

The team members learned that in recent years, Anhui has prioritized the development of agriculture and rural areas, coordinated efforts to strengthen investment support and advance reform and innovation, continued to improve its fiscal support system for agriculture, and optimized policies designed to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and boost rural prosperity, achieving solid results.

The team members stressed that the modernization of agriculture and rural areas is crucial to the overall progress and quality of Chinese modernization. They called for continued efforts to focus on the overall goal of the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, improve diversified investment mechanisms for rural vitalization, and protect and encourage farmers' enthusiasm for farming and grain production. They also stressed the need to support the development of new types of rural collective economies, improve mechanisms for giving priority to the allocation of production factors, and further strengthen policy support for agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

The CPPCC should fully leverage its role as a specialized consultative body and fulfill its duties, with particular emphasis on promoting innovation, strengthening and improving industries, and helping farmers increase their incomes, they noted. The CPPCC should also continue to deepen research and offer practical suggestions, contributing wisdom and strength to accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and comprehensively promoting rural vitalization, they added.

Long Zhuangwei and Ye Dongsong, vice-chairpersons of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Areas of the CPPCC National Committee, Sun Dongsheng, deputy secretary-general of the CPPCC National Committee, several CPPCC National Committee members, and officials from relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs took part in the survey.