China opened a 27,000-kilometer agricultural transport network
Sunday, said a senior official with the Ministry of Communications
in Beijing on Sunday.
The network can facilitate the transportation of fresh
agricultural produce, including fresh vegetables, fruits, aquatic
products, livestock, meat, eggs and milk, said Vice Minister Feng
Zhenglin.
Along the network, special passages are opened for these
vehicles carrying the above products, he said.
Based on the national highway network, the "green corridor"
network connects China's 29 provincial capital cities and another
71 major cities at the prefectural level, Feng said.
The network will contribute greatly to the stable supply of
fresh vegetables in cities, he said, adding this will also promote
China's agricultural development and increase farmers' income.
In 1995, some ministries launched four "green corridors" to
guarantee a stable supply of vegetables for urban areas.
These linked major vegetable and fruit production bases, such as
Shouguang in east China's Shandong Province and southern Hainan
Province. Local governments involved in the network will not charge
or charge less tolls of vehicles carrying agricultural products in
a bid to cut transportation cost.
The whole length has so far reached 11,000 km. Some provinces
have also built their own regional "green corridors."
The plan of the network has been made by seven ministries,
comprising the Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Public
Security, Ministry of Agriculture, National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of
Finance and the State Council Office for Correcting
Malpractice.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2006)