Solving issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers have been listed as the top priorities in the Shandong provincial government work report for 2021, local media reported.

This year, Shandong, an agricultural powerhouse in East China, will intensify efforts to consolidate and extend its achievements in poverty alleviation, advance rural vitalization and speed up the modernization of the agricultural sector and rural areas, said local authorities.

A high-speed train travels through at a vegetable base in Xuecheng district of Zaozhuang, Shandong province, Dec 14, 2020. [Photo/IC]

The province will continue to ensure a steady supply of grain and major agricultural products as well as strengthen the protection and utilization of germplasm resources and the construction of seed banks.

Shandong will continue to promote the high-quality development of rural industries. A number of programs for cultivating distinctive industries will be released. The province also aims to establish 20 provincial-level modern agricultural industrial parks, 100 provincial-level towns with strong agricultural industries, and 1,000 provincial-level villages with influential industries.

The province will intensify efforts to improve the living and working conditions in rural areas. It will also take measures to upgrade rural infrastructure facilities as well as prevent and control pollution levels in rural areas.

This year, Shandong will speed up the construction of the Weifang national agricultural open development comprehensive pilot zone, the National Vegetable Quality Standard Center, and the Zaozhuang National Innovation Demonstration Zone for Sustainable Development. It will also support Zibo in establishing a national pilot area for rural reform.