Farmers in east China's Shandong province have gained double-digit income growth in 2007, with per capita income reaching 4,985 yuan (about 665 U.S. dollars), an increase of 14 percent over the previous year.

The provincial agriculture department said it was the fourth year for farmers in the province to have double-digit income growth rate.

The Shandong provincial government has provided preferential policies for farmers to increase production. The provincial fiscal bureaus have spent 9.22 billion yuan on subsidizing farmers in 2007, 30.6 percent higher over 2006. The farmers of the province got 31.6 billion yuan of loans last year, the most in the country

With more rural laborers transferring to the urban areas, wage income has played a vital role in farmers' income growth since 2006.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2008)