II. Major Considerations on the Theme of the Document

The CPC Central Committee decided to continue issue the top document on agriculture and rural areas to deploy the work of agriculture, farmers and rural areas for this year and the future period of time in an all-round way, speeding up innovation in agricultural science and technology and building up the capacity to guarantee adequate supplies of agricultural products. The major considerations are as follows:

First, we are facing more complicated and arduous domestic and international economic situations. To maintain stable and rapid economic development, maintain basically stable prices, maintain social harmony and stability and make stable progress, we should avoid any accident in agriculture and any problems in agricultural product supplies. This year, we will hold the 18th National Party Congress. It is of vital importance for creating a sound atmosphere, promoting the general work and winning strategies to do a good job in agriculture, farmer and rural area development, stabilize agricultural production and guarantee effective agricultural product supplies.

Second, in terms of development demands, we should stabilize agricultural production for the next year and stably ensure effective supplies of grain and other important agricultural products for the long term. We do not have enough space to achieve this goal by continuing to increase irrigation and land resources; we must increase the per-unit-area yield. To increase the per-unit-area yield, we should not continue to increase the utilization of fertilizers and pesticides because this can reduce efficiency, ruin the environment and cannot last long. Meanwhile, it is very necessary to promote sustainable and rapid growth of farmers' incomes by issuing good policies, increasing prices and encouraging them to work in cities, and these methods should be strengthened in the future. But the fundamental way is to develop productive forces, constantly increase land productivity, resource utilization and work efficiency through sci-tech progress, and increase farmers' income by increasing production, improving quality and saving costs. Thus, science and technology is very important to consolidate and develop the good agricultural situations in rural areas.

Third, in terms of work guidance, the CPC Central Committee has issued eight high priority documents since 2004. By focusing on a specific theme every year, the CPC Central Committee has issued a series of important policies and measures to strengthen, benefit and enrich farmers and promote sustainable and stable agricultural and rural development, winning consecutive good harvests in grain production, continuous increase of farmers' income and constant improvement of people's livelihood in rural areas. Evidence shows that the top documents on agriculture and rural area work issued by the CPC Central Committee can help highlight key working areas, clarify policy orientation and solve problems in a collective manner. It has become the policy orientation and major signal of the CPC Central Committee in guiding the work of agriculture, farmers and rural areas, the collective embodiment and clear symbol of the policy system to strengthen, benefit and enrich farmers and the forceful weapon and important tool of unifying ideology and uniting forces.

In general, the CPC Central Committee set the theme of the top document this year as "speeding up innovation in agricultural science and technology and building up the capacity to guarantee agricultural product supplies," which better promotes development, responds to the grass-root demands, considers the long-term goals and enriches and develops the policy system of agriculture, farms and rural areas on the basis of maintaining policy continuity.