Chinese Premier promises continuous increase in rural incomes

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) - China will keep a steady development of agriculture and a continuous increase in rural incomes, said Premier Wen Jiabao while speaking at the opening of the parliament's annual session Friday.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers a government work report during the opening meeting of the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2010. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

The government will spend a total of 133.5 billion yuan (19.55 billion U.S.dollars) to subsidize agricultural production, a year-on-year increase of 6.04 billion yuan, he said in a government work report delivered at the Third Session of the 11th National People's Congress.

"We must give top priority in all our work to solving the problems faced by agriculture, rural areas, and farmers," said Wen.

The government would also offer a rise of 0.06 to 0.2 yuan in the minimum price of rice per kilogram and a 0.06 yuan rise for wheat, according to the report.

The average annual income of Chinese farmers stood at 5,153 yuan in 2009, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier.