KUNMING — A total of 20 million hectares of vegetable fields and over 800 million tons of annual output make China the world's top vegetable grower, authorities said Wednesday.

Dai Zhongjiu, executive president of China Vegetable Marketing Association, made the remarks at a vegetable wholesalers' conference in Kunming.

"China ranks first in the world in terms of output, sales and export volumes of vegetables. We should do more to build brands and boost quality because people care more about quality, nutrition and taste of vegetables," he said.

Dai said information technology will also be used to develop the vegetable-growing sector, remove market barriers, raise the income of farmers and meet the growing demands of consumers.

The wholesalers' conference gathered 300 participating groups, including government authorities from major vegetable growing regions in China, vegetable markets owners and wholesalers.