China has released its first policy document of the year, which focuses largely on agriculture. The document, dubbed the "Number One Central Document", underscores the importance of rural reform and modernizing the country’s agriculture sector.
The document put improving the national food security system on the top of the reform list for 2014 and the next few years. It said, China should spare no efforts in promoting domestic grain production, strictly observing a red line for its arable land and constantly raising the country’s agricultural production capacity. According to a recent survey released in late December, China’s arable land totalled about 134 million hectares, slightly above the minimum of 120 million hectares the government has set to ensure food security.
The document also called for more policy support and the protection of agriculture by promoting steady increases in govrerment expenditures, improving subsidies for farmers, and the establishment of an interest compensation mechanism. It also said China will promote technological innovation in the agricultural sector, develop a modern seed industry and establish a new management system to further modernize the country’s rural areas.