Xi extends greetings ahead of farmers' harvest festival

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has extended festive greetings and sincere regards on behalf of the CPC Central Committee to farmers and people working on agricultural and rural fronts ahead of the eighth Chinese farmers' harvest festival.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed efforts to build a beautiful and harmonious countryside that is desirable for people to live and work in, and march together toward a bright future of Chinese modernization.

Xi said that despite the impacts of natural disasters such as droughts and floods, China has managed to secure a stable output of summer grain and increase production of early rice this year, and is expecting another bumper grain harvest.

To advance Chinese modernization, it is necessary to modernize the agricultural sector and rural areas, Xi said.

It is imperative to give priority to the development of agriculture and rural areas, improve policies that strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and enrich rural areas, support the development of agricultural science, technology, and equipment, and work to raise the overall agricultural production capacity, Xi said.

He called for multiple measures to boost employment and incomes for farmers, as well as solid progress in advancing all-around rural revitalization.

The Chinese farmers' harvest festival is the first national festival created specifically for the country's farmers. Starting in 2018, the festival coincides with the Autumnal Equinox each year, which is one of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunisolar calendar and usually falls between Sept. 22 and 24 during the country's agricultural harvest season.