Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua urged efforts to stimulate hundreds of millions of farmers to actively engage in rural vitalization, accelerate the modernization of agriculture and prioritize the development of rural areas.

Hu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during celebrations for the 2021 Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival in Jiaxing city, East China’s Zhejiang province, on Sept 23.

The vice-premier visited exhibitions featuring digital agriculture, characteristic agricultural products and seed industry, and issued certificates to farmers and agricultural technical personnel.

This year saw another bumper harvest in grain and agricultural production, despite impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and floods, with harmony and stability being maintained in rural society, Hu said.

Hu also said that as the work focus for agriculture, rural areas and farmers has shifted to a new stage of pushing forward all-around rural vitalization, similar celebrations and activities should be launched to involve farmers with greater enthusiasm to make consistent new progress in rural vitalization.