BEIJING, Feb. 24 -- China has huge potential for increasing rural demand and facilitating urban-rural economic circulation, an official has told Xinhua in an interview.

From 2016 to 2022, the per capita consumption expenditure of rural residents rose 6.5 percent on average each year, 3 percentage points higher than that of urban residents, said the official with the Department of Development and Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stressing vast opportunities in rural consumption.

Demand for improving rural living conditions and the quality of life and services for farmers, such as elderly care, will become new drivers for rural consumption in the future, said the official.

In the fields of rural infrastructure construction and public services, around 15 trillion yuan (about 2.18 trillion U.S. dollars) of investment demand will be released in 5 to 10 years as the country advances the building of high-standard farmland, as well as the development of modern protected agriculture and rural construction, according to experts.

Multiple measures should be taken to stimulate rural demand and smooth urban-rural economic circulation, such as developing rural specialty industries and increasing the income of rural residents, while attracting more funds to fields such as high-standard farmland, warehousing and cold chain logistics, and modern protected agriculture.

Efforts should also be made to optimize agricultural products and rural services, promote the integrated planning of urban and rural spatial distribution, land use, ecological protection and facilities, and promote the smooth flow of goods and services between urban and rural areas.