Chinese vice premier calls for ensuring bumper harvest after flooding

CHANGCHUN, Aug. 13 -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong has called for efforts to minimize the damage to agricultural production caused by recent torrential rains and flooding and to ensure a bumper harvest this autumn and for the year.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an investigation and research trip to Liaoning and Jilin provinces in northeast China from Saturday to Monday.

He urged measures to drain accumulated water, promote the restoration of affected crops and guide farmers in replanting areas where crops were destroyed.

Liu also urged efforts to improve the agriculture sector's capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation, and to step up financial support for the restoration of agricultural production.

For farmland unaffected by flooding, steps should be taken to boost output and further consolidate the foundation for a bountiful autumn harvest, he said.

Liu also inspected major water conservancy projects in China's northeastern regions, where the flood situation remains complex and severe.

He called for strengthening the monitoring and early warning of rainfall conditions and enhancing the defense capabilities against water and drought disasters in these projects.