Talent vital for rural vitalization, advisers say

Talent is key to the country's rural vitalization strategy and more efforts should be made to cultivate farmers with modern skills, people able to start businesses in the countryside and government rural affairs workers, national political advisers said at a recent meeting.

The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body, held a meeting on Monday to discuss ways to achieve rural vitalization. About 100 members attended, some in Beijing and others in sub-venues in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces via video link.

Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, said expanding poverty alleviation achievements and implementing the rural vitalization strategy are the embodiment of the Communist Party of China's ruling purpose and inherent requirements for building a modern socialist country.

Measures adapted to local conditions should be taken to achieve steady progress in improving agriculture and farmers' incomes to narrow the development gap between urban and rural regions, he said.

"We must stick to the bottom line that there is no large-scale population falling back into poverty and ensure that all people share the fruits of reform and development," Wang added.

Xia Tao, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, said talent is fundamental to rural vitalization. Local governments attach great importance to the cultivation of high-quality farmers, but their talent selection, training methods and support policies are not sufficiently targeted to meet the needs.

They should focus on cultivating leaders of new types of agricultural business entities, higher-education graduates who work in the countryside and young and middle-aged migrant workers who have returned to their hometowns.

Luo Zhijun, director of the CPPCC National Committee's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, said specific measures should be developed to promote the transfer of labor-intensive industries in the east of the country to areas that have recently been lifted out of poverty and to provide them with the necessary resources.

Li Yuncai, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, said there should be at least one official among the leadership of each village in western regions with experience in business operations to stimulate the internal impetus for rural vitalization.