BEIJING - China will increase its technology input to boost the country's agricultural modernization, Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu said on Wednesday.

"Greater efforts will be made to highlight advanced agricultural technology, a decisive force in boosting the country's sustainable development of agriculture," Hui said at the central government's conference on rural work, which ended on Wednesday in Beijing.

The output of all major agricultural products in China has increased this year, for the first time in 16 years, the Minister of Agriculture, Han Changfu, told the conference on Wednesday.

Analysts say the country must boost the technology input into agricultural production in order to counter the shrinkage in arable land, which is being lost to urbanization, and the more frequent natural disasters.

"Compared with the technological input into industry the input into agricultural production still lags behind," said Li Maosong, director of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' agriculture information office.

"The technology input will focus on improving unit yield and the quality and safety of agricultural products," he said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show the country's grain output reached 571 million tons this year, a 4.5 percent increase year-on-year and the eighth consecutive year of growth.

Meanwhile the country's vegetable output is expected to increase 4 percent to 677 million tons in 2011 and its fruit output grow by 8 percent to 142 million tons.

To guarantee the country's economic development and social stability, China will ensure it has a sufficient supply of agricultural products with stable prices next year, Hui said.

Also construction work on water irrigation facilities in rural areas will continue next year, and efforts will be made to improve education and healthcare for rural residents, he added.