All of the work in China's agricultural sector must boil down to
reversing the downturn in the growth of farmers' incomes, Minister
of Agriculture Du Qinglin said at the weekend in Beijing.
This is the most prominent problem for the country's rural
economy, the minister conceded at a two-day national conference
organized by the ministry that ended on Saturday.
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) upset
the growth of the animal husbandry sector, the employment of rural
migrant workers in cities and sales of farm produce, Du told
regional agricultural chiefs at the meeting.
As a result, farmers' per capita cash income grew by a meagre
2.5 per cent in the first half of this year, a growth rate 3.4
percentage points lower than the same period last year, said Yao
Jingyuan, a spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics.
In light of this situation, Du said his ministry will see to it
that farmers can benefit from the whole process of the production,
processing and distribution of agricultural products, not just from
the production phase as in the past.
The ministry has been vigorously developing the farm produce
processing, storage and transportation industries. It has been
encouraging agricultural enterprises to sign contracts with farmers
so that the farmers can share the added value that derives from
their raw materials.
One of the ministry's main aims is to sharpen the competitive
edge of Chinese farm produce and improve the efficiency of the
agricultural sector by highlighting quality control and tapping
existing potential, Du said.
In a key document released last week, the State Council said
China will increase its investment in agriculture to help farmers
earn more and live more comfortably.
Apart from the 25.7 billion yuan (US$3.1 billion) in funding
already earmarked early this year, the government has allocated an
additional 3.25 billion yuan (US$393 million) in treasury bonds to
be spent in the remainder of this year on launching drinking water
projects, building roads in the countryside and fortifying ageing
reservoirs.
Du said the infrastructure projects in rural areas will employ
mainly farmers, giving them another avenue to increase their
income.
Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu told the conference that the central
government has been investing more and more in agriculture and
rural areas, China's national economy has continued to develop, and
the rural economy is still growing.
(China Daily August 11, 2003)