Chinese vice premier urges local governments here on Saturday to take supportive measures to ensure the stability of agricultural production and the farm produce supply.

The impact of the worsening of the global economy has started to be felt in China's rural economy, and the prices of farm produce are going down, affecting the income of farmers, said Vice Premier Hui Liangyu at a work meeting when he visited Shandong Province.

He thus demanded that related authorities carry out state purchase and storage plans, which was designed to stabilize prices of important products, to make sure that the staple farm products are sold at reasonable prices.

Hui emphasized the importance of the rural development next year, when the measures decided by the Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth CPC Central Committee would be implemented.

Local governments should make early preparations for policies that would benefit farmers as instructed by the meeting, Hui said.

The Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth CPC Central Committee has listed the development of agriculture, rural area economy, and the livehood of farmers as one of the top priorities in China's development

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2008)