Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has urged local agricultural departments in northern areas to take measures to help the wheat live through long winter safely.

"Effective measures should be taken to ensure stable growth of the winter wheat and prevent freeze disaster in northern areas," said Hui while inspecting the agriculture work and rural areas in southwest China's Sichuan Province from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.

"Farmland idle in winter in southern areas should be fully used to expand the planting of winter rape and potato," Hui said.

Hui went to fields to check the growth of grain crop and oil plants in Qionglai, Jianyang, Dayi, Shuangliu and some other places in Sichuan during his four-day tour.

"Though a full grain harvest is expected by the end of this year, we shall not loose our agricultural work in winter, which will help lay a solid foundation for the agriculture's stable development in future," Hui said.

The National Bureau of Statistics has said, China's summer grain output in 2007 increased 1.45 billion kilograms, or 1.3 percent, to reach 115.35 billion kilograms, while the country's upcoming autumn harvest is expected to report a growth for the fourth consecutive year.

Government supporting policies to grain production, including the minimum price policy for grain and wheat, have effectively motivated farmers to produce more grain this year.

Hui also visited local farmers' houses, livestock farms, farm produce processing plants to see whether the central government's preferential policies for farmers and agriculture had all been put into practice.

He encouraged local governments to further implement the central policies supporting the pig-breeding and dairy industries and increase investment in the construction of farmland irrigation and water conservancy projects.

He also urged local governments to learn in depth the new tasks and requirements the Party put forward in its 17th national congress concerning the agriculture, farmers and rural areas so as to ensure stable development of the agriculture, continuous increase of farmers incomes and overall advancement of various causes in rural areas.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2007)