Vice Premier Hui Liangyu ordered local governments to take effective measures to restore agricultural production against the month-long inclement winter weather and start spring ploughing as soon as possible.

Speaking at a national meeting held in Beijing on Tuesday, he called for efforts to strive for the harvest of summer grain and oil crops and of agriculture for the whole year.

He said China was at a crucial time to shift its focus from emergency disaster relief to reconstruction and restoration. Doinga good job in anti-disaster exertions for agriculture and spring ploughing was related to stable grain production and basic supply of major farm produce, to sustained increases in farmers' income and to the macro control and the overall situation of economic and social development.

Local governments and officials should be well aware of the fact that agriculture is threatened by the aftermath of the severe winter weather over the past month and by uncertainty in climate changes.

A good job should be done in seeds and seedlings distribution and in related technical services. Credit extension should be increased to help farmers with spring ploughing and to support restoration of damaged farming facilities, Hui stressed.

He added no time should be lost to carry out spring immunization for animal husbandry, and to enhance drought relief and construction of farm irrigation facilities and drinking water supply projects in rural areas.

Last year, China yielded 500 million tons of grain and recorded an increment in grain production for the fourth consecutive year.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2008)