Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has called for promoting all-round development of agriculture and the rural economy Wednesday, when he delivered the Report on the Work of the Government at the opening of the First Session of the Tenth National People's Congress.

"We should continue to take developing agriculture and the rural economy and increasing farmers' income as the top priority of our economic work. Economic and social development in urban and rural areas must be coordinated, and work relating to agriculture, rural areas and farmers must be done well," the report says.

China should accelerate structural readjustment in agriculture and the rural economy, according to the report.

The government should continue readjusting the distribution of agricultural areas and promoting industrialization of agriculture; vigorously develop animal husbandry, aquatic farming and the processing of agricultural products; while returning more farmland to forests; implement without delay the national plan for the conservation of grasslands.

The government should strengthen the system for quality and safety of agricultural products and the system of commercialized services for agriculture; continue implementing and improving the rural household land contract system and manage well the non- agricultural land.

While continuing to deepen various reforms in rural areas, the government should extend the experiment with rural taxes and administrative charges to all parts of the country on the basis of well summed up experience and improved policies.

The government should conscientiously implement all policies and measures designed to lighten the burden on farmers; and protect farmers' interests better by deepening the reform of the grain and cotton distribution system, the report says.

It calls for investing more in the development of agriculture infrastructure and in agricultural science and technology.

China should speed up the construction of facilities for water- saving irrigation and for supplying potable water for people and livestock, roads linking county seats and townships, facilities for rural energy supply, as well as educational, medical and health facilities in the countryside.

More assistance should be given to major grain producing areas, he stressed. A good job should be done in alleviating poverty through development. The collective economy should be helped grow stronger. Intra-county economic development should be promoted. The process of urbanization should be accelerated.

The government should coordinate and guide the shifting of surplus rural labor to non-agricultural undertakings better, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of farmer-laborers holding temporary or permanent jobs in cities, the report says.

(Xinhua)