China sets winter-spring priorities for farmland and irrigation works

China's leadership has called for stronger farmland water infrastructure and high-standard farmland construction during the winter-spring period. Instructions from Premier Li Qiang were conveyed at a national video conference on 13 November, linking agricultural construction to grain-production capacity and protection against disasters.

Li called for modernising large and medium-sized irrigation areas, improving agricultural water efficiency and addressing outstanding problems in farmland construction. His instruction said recent work by local authorities and departments had helped production capacity and disaster prevention, but further improvements were needed to protect food security.

Vice Premier Liu Guozhong told the meeting to tighten supervision of funds and continue correcting identified shortcomings. He also called for faster use of results from the third national soil survey in agricultural work. The meeting set priorities and oversight requirements rather than announcing that all construction had been completed.

Other tasks included autumn and winter sowing, winter-spring agricultural production, smooth purchasing of the autumn grain harvest and disaster prevention. The instructions did not specify a new nationwide budget total or a single completion deadline for the various local projects.