Faced with new challenges and emerging situations, China's agricultural industry needs to drive innovation to expedite reform, an expert from the United States has said.

William Niebur, vice-president of DuPont and DuPont Pioneer North Asia, said that national and provincial administrative policies in agriculture require innovation and should be driven by market forces, because food safety and security - along with the modernization of the agricultural industry - are prerequisites for China's sustainable economic growth and development.

This message followed the Chinese government's release of the annual No 1 Central Document, reinforcing the concept that tackling the "Three Rural Issues" related to farmers, the countryside and agriculture, optimizing grain production and safeguarding farmers' income are the priorities for government policies.