The province of Shandong will further promote work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers in 2021, according to a conference on rural development held by the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee on Jan 17 in Jinan, capital of Shandong.

The agricultural powerhouse will make continuous efforts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) to promote the efficiency and quality of its agricultural sector, improve the living and working conditions of rural areas, and ensure that farmers are well-off.

The province will gradually shift the policy focus toward comprehensively promoting rural vitalization during the five-year transition period for counties that have shaken off poverty. It will improve the mechanism for dynamic monitoring and instant assistance in theses counties and strengthen the supervision of poverty alleviation assets.

Shandong will launch more measures to ensure food security and strengthen food production. It will keep total crop acreage and grain output stable, increase the area of high-standard cropland, and improve the distribution of different grain production functional areas.

It will support modern agricultural facilities, safe drinking water projects, and the improvement of living environments.

The province has ramped up efforts such as financial support for major pork-producing counties in a bid to encourage hog production. It will also continue to boost the construction of marine ranches.