China's top legislator Li Peng said Wednesday that China adopted
and amended 11 additional laws relating to agriculture and rural
areas, creating better conditions for the country to develop the
rural economy and protect farmers' legitimate interests in the past
five years.
Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress, said that the additional laws have brought
the total number of laws on agriculture and rural areas to 19.
These laws have laid a solid foundation for the country to
revitalize agriculture and the rural economy through the rule of
law, said the chairman.
He
made the remarks during a panel discussion on two amended laws,
namely, the agricultural and grasslands law and the newly-adopted
law on rural land contracts.
The amendments to the agricultural law, which will take effect on
March 1, 2003, incorporate new regulations to accelerate the
transfer of surplus rural labor, ensure the safety of farm produce
and advance agricultural science and technological development.
The grasslands law amendments tighten supervision of tourism
ventures in grassland areas and forbid the use of strongly toxic
pesticides in such locations.
The top legislator called on officials at all levels to improve
their awareness of the rule of law while dealing with issues
concerning agriculture and rural areas.
He
called on the entire Chinese community to pay more attention to the
country's agriculture and farmers and to increase their support for
agricultural development.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2003)