Premier: Trust the creativity of farmers

"Villages in China have varied conditions, and our policies should not set a rigid bar and targets," Premier Li Keqiang said at a State Council executive meeting on Dec 12.

Measures were rolled out at the meeting to promote mechanized farming and machinery upgrades.

Premier Li said the measures will support modern agriculture and raise farmers' incomes. He also outlined how policies should respect farmers' will and allow the market to play its role.

"We should trust farmers and their creativity. When the harvest season is coming, combine harvesters are always chasing time to reap wheat from the south to the north. That is the wisdom of farmers, not planning by the government," Premier Li said.

He also said that proper agricultural machinery should be developed and promoted in areas with geographical restrictions, and called for work to improve navigation, roads, and other facilities.

Measures were announced to improve mechanized production and the harvesting of primary crops, to give financial support for mechanized farming, and to advance whole-process agricultural mechanization.

Additionally the meeting stressed that advanced agricultural machinery and techniques should be further promoted, including precision farming and research and development in medium and small machines and technologies applicable to mountain areas.

It also urged enterprises to speed up innovation in agricultural equipment, develop complete sets of equipment and improve the quality of farming equipment suitable for major cash crops.

Basic conditions should be improved for mechanized agriculture, according to the meeting, which urged the integration and interconnectivity of farmlands.

It further called for cooperatives to be established to facilitate the sharing of agricultural machinery, and for the advancement of smart farming.