China should frame a law on agriculture protection in a bid to strengthen its fundamental status, said a political advisor on Saturday.

"More efforts must be made to reinforce agriculture to ensure the steady and rapid growth of the economy," said Wang Shaojie, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), at a plenary meeting of the top political advisory body.

Wang, also vice chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, one of the country's eight non-communist parties, said an agriculture protection law will help to ensure governments at county and township levels provide sufficient financial support for developing modern agriculture.

He also suggested that to boost domestic demand, the country should considerably increase the spending on infrastructure and public work in rural areas.

"Priority should go to farmers as China is striving to ensure the people's well-being," said Wang, vice director of the Committee of Population, Resources and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee.

Vice Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin proposed to amend the "Law on the Popularization of Agriculture Technology", which was adopted in 1993, to boost modern agriculture technology.

"The law should be amended as soon as possible in order to provide legal protection for agriculture technology popularization in the new era," said Zhang, a CPPCC National Committee member.

Zhang, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiu San Society, another non-communist party, also proposed to beef up trainings to grassroots agriculture technicians.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2009)