Wen stresses agriculture, farmers' rights

BEIJING - Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday that China should strive to promote agricultural modernization and protect farmers' rights to boost the development of rural areas.

As a country with a large population, agricultural modernization is equally as important as urbanization and industrialization to China, Wen said at the annual central conference on rural work that opened on Tuesday in Beijing.

Any slight failure in agriculture will hamper the country's economic development and social stability, he said.