BEIJING - The general office of the State Council has issued guidelines on the development of high-tech agricultural industrial demonstration zones, highlighting the importance of technology in modernizing agriculture.

"The future of China's agriculture sector lies in agricultural modernization, and the key to advancing agricultural modernization lies in the development of technology," said Xu Nanping, vice-minister of science and technology in a press release Monday.

Xu said that developing the demonstration zones needed more professionals trained, advanced technologies applied and the fostering of high-tech agricultural companies to improve the competitiveness of China's agriculture sector at home and abroad.

The document said that by 2025 a group of national agricultural high-tech industry demonstration zones would be built, innovation-driven agricultural development explored, and land output, labor productivity and green development of the zones significantly increased.