Visit boosts confidence in rural future

Fact-finding trip after farmers' harvest underscores safeguarding food security

When President Xi Jinping visited Dongyujia village in Dezhou, Shandong province, during the busy summer farming season on Wednesday morning, Li Lianjun, 54, and other villagers shared with him their joy over this year's summer grain harvest.

Xi was pleased to learn that wheat yields had increased again this year and that corn was being planted rapidly without missing the optimal planting window. He encouraged the farmers to steadily increase both yields and returns, and strive for a bumper grain harvest for the whole year.

"With all the wheat harvested, we knew we had secured a good harvest," Li said, noting that yields had increased by about 300 to 375 kilograms per hectare compared with last year.