President Hu inspects Hebei, underlines efforts to support agriculture

LANGFANG, Hebei Province, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao on Friday urged Party committees and governments at all levels to make issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers top priority of their agenda and called for increased investment in these areas.

Hu Jintao (C, front), Chinese President, general secretary of the  Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and  chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with a  family member of villager Zhang Futai during an inspection tour at  a village of Liqizhuang Town, Sanhe City, north China's Hebei  Province, on Jan. 1, 2010. Hu Jintao made the inspection tour in  Sanhe City on Friday. (Xinhua Photo)

During a visit to villages in China's northern Hebei Province Friday, Hu called for efforts to develop modern agriculture by relying on the progress of science and technology and make sure that farmers have increasing incomes.

The president said this year's No. 1 document of the CPC Central Committee will include a batch of new policies to support agricultural development.

Hu spent time inquiring about the livelihood of local farmers and conveyed New Year greetings to them.

At a vegetable greenhouse of Liqizhuang Township of Sanhe City, which is close to Beijing, Hu inquired about sales and market price of vegetables and incomes of local farmers.

Hu urged local farmers to give full play to the area's geographic advantage and contribute to the development of local economy by raising the quantity and quality of vegetables.

At a grain and oil enterprise, Hu called for intensified efforts to improve product quality and lower production cost so asto provide consumers with more quality edible oil with a low price.

In another village of Liqizhuang Township, Hu encouraged village authorities to improve villagers' life quality by improving infrastructure and providing local people with more services.

After being told that 74-year-old villager Zhang Futai and his wife had moved into a two-storey building from a house made of mud and stone, Hu said he was happy to see the farmers' living conditions being improved.