HENGYANG, April 13 — The Municipal Rural Work Conference was convened here on the morning of April 13. Zhu Jian, Secretary of the CPC Hengyang Municipal Committee, attended and addressed the conference, stressing the imperative to thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers, as well as the guiding principles of the central and provincial rural work conferences. He called for pragmatic and solid efforts to continuously boost agricultural efficiency, invigorate rural areas and increase farmers' incomes, striving to break new ground in all-around rural revitalization. Liu Zhongjie, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Hengyang Municipal Committee and Mayor of Hengyang, presided over the conference. Wu Shuguang, Chairman of the Hengyang Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was present.

                                                                          Zhu Jian Delivers a Speech

Zhu Jian underscored the need to focus on key tasks and stimulate development vitality. Efforts should be fully dedicated to improving the quality and efficiency of comprehensive straw utilization, addressing weaknesses in the collection, storage and transportation system, fostering and expanding major utilization entities, and improving benefit-sharing mechanisms to form replicable and scalable industrial development models.

It is essential to coordinate efforts to resolve village-level debts and concentrate on developing the collective rural economy. Work should be intensified in revitalizing resources, securing projects, optimizing services and introducing talents, to drive the new-type rural collective economy toward scaled, market-oriented and specialized development.

Reform should be further deepened and empowerment through science and technology strengthened. Accelerate breakthroughs in core technologies, research and application of equipment, development of smart systems and opening-up of application scenarios. A core technological system for smart breeding should be established, and smart management capabilities enhanced from grain production to storage, transforming agriculture from "depending on the weather" to "acting with weather knowledge".

Zhu Jian stressed the importance of strengthening weak links to consolidate the foundation of rural industries. Adhering to a problem-oriented approach, coordinated efforts should be made in three key areas: industrial planning, enterprise cultivation and brand building, to promote the upgrading of rural industries.

Bottom-line thinking must be upheld to build a strong security shield. Security and stability should always be prioritized, with resolute efforts to safeguard bottom lines, eliminate potential risks, and ensure rural society is both vibrant and stable and orderly.

Liu Zhongjie pointed out that all requirements of "adapting to local conditions and seeking truth and pragmatism" must be fully implemented to swiftly draw up "implementation blueprints". Efforts should focus on "grasping priorities and addressing weaknesses" to wage a decisive "battle". In line with the requirement of "holding fast to bottom lines and maintaining stability", a tight "security net" must be firmly woven to strive for new achievements in all-around rural revitalization and the modernization of agriculture and rural areas in Hengyang.

The conference was held via video link, with sub-venues set up in all counties, county-level cities and districts. Representatives from Hengyang County, Changning City, Leiyang City and Shigu District delivered speeches respectively on topics including grain production, industrial development to boost farmers' incomes, cash crop cultivation, stable production and supply of the "vegetable basket", and building "beautiful and harmonious villages in Hunan".

Zhu Jian and Liu Zhongjie Pose for a Group Photo with Representatives of Major Grain Growers Before the Conference

Prior to the conference, Zhu Jian and Liu Zhongjie met with representatives of major grain growers across the city.

(All-media reporters: Luo Wenpeng (text), Wang Zhai (photos))