Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that the country's rural vitalization drive will focus on the ecological, social and cultural aspects of the countryside apart from promoting economic growth, and he pledged to roll out more incentives to support grain growing and consolidate food security for China's 1.4 billion people.

While speaking at a news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Li said China is a major agricultural country with 500 million people residing in the countryside, and he stressed that socialist modernization will not be complete without rural vitalization.

During the Central Rural Work Conference last year, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivered an important speech and gave comprehensive instructions on building a strong agricultural country, advancing work related to agriculture, rural villages and farmers, and promoting rural vitalization, Li noted.

"So our task is to deliver on the decisions and instructions made by the Party central committee," Li said.

He said that in promoting rural vitalization, his administration will focus on three key points.

Li said that the first is comprehensive development, because rural vitalization is not just about economic growth. It's also important to highlight the economic, ecological, social and cultural values of the countryside.

The second is distinctive features. "China is a vast country with cultures and customs that vary from village to village, even though that they may be just miles apart," he said.

Li said that it is important to preserve the local rural culture and avoid a situation in which all villages look the same.

The third is reform. "We need to deepen reform in the rural sector to provide drivers to rural vitalization," he said.

Farmers are principal actors in the process. The government needs to encourage them to take initiative, allow them to participate in rural vitalization efforts and share the benefits of reform and development, he added.

Li noted that overall food security in China is guaranteed, with grain output having remained above 650 million metric tons for eight consecutive years.

Going forward, he said China will work to beef up grain production capacity by focusing on two key factors – arable lands and seeds.

"Here, I want to let our farmer friends know that the government policy in support of grain production will only increase, not decrease, he said.

"We encourage farmers to produce more grains to make sure that the rice bowls of our 1.4 billion people will always be firmly held in our own hands."