Xi extends greetings ahead of farmers' harvest festival

President Xi Jinping has called for adopting multiple measures to boost employment and incomes of farmers and achieve solid progress in advancing all-around rural vitalization.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks ahead of the eighth Chinese farmers' harvest festival, which falls on Tuesday.

He extended festive greetings and sincere regards on behalf of the CPC Central Committee to farmers and people working in the agricultural and rural sectors.

Xi said that despite the impacts of natural disasters, such as droughts and floods, China has managed to secure a stable summer grain output 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, he said.

Xi urged Party committees and governments at various levels to give priority to the development of rural areas and agriculture, 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.

He also expressed the hope that farmers across the country will fully utilize their initiative and creativity to build a beautiful and harmonious countryside that is desirable for people to live and work in, with active support and involvement of all sectors of society, in order to march together toward a bright future of Chinese modernization.

The Chinese farmers' harvest festival is the first national festival created specifically for the country's farmers. It started in 2018.

The festival coincides with the Autumn 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 harvest season.

caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn