(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-23 21:39

BEIJING -- Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Sunday encouraged individuals and groups involved in grain production to make new contributions to the stabilization of yields and supplies of other agricultural products.

While attending a ceremony honoring advanced grain producers, he urged those recognized to exert more efforts to push forward agricultural modernization, to help farmers increase income and to promote development of the rural economy.

A total of 820 individuals and 210 prefecture and county governments as well as two provincial grain bureaus were honored for their contributions to grain production.

Rural work has been at the top of the government's development agenda in recent years.

Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai announced on Saturday that China produced more than 500 billion kilograms of grain in 2007, the fourth consecutive year of yield growth.

He added that farmers saw their annual per-capita net income increase by 7 percent to 4,000 yuan (540 U.S. dollars), largely due to price rises for farm produce, a larger number of rural migrant workers and more government subsidies for agricultural production.