Northeast China Province Shifts to Stock Raising

Over output of agricultural products, grains in particular, and the reduction of prices, have made the Liaoning provincial government in northeast China to devote more efforts to stock raising with a view to increasing farmers' income.

Song Shucai, provincial official in charge of stock raising, said that they plan to raise the livestock industry by 54 percent within the next five years, turning the province into a major force in the sector.

Central government's decision on the agricultural restructuring with the aim to increase rural income and improve the quality of rural economy, together with the abolishment of subsidy on wheat yield, has forced the province to resolve the oversupply of grains. The province, one of the main grain producers in the country, has in all allocated an amount of 7.5 million yuan ( about US$ 900,000) in improving 45 livestock raising centers, and introducing over 900 boars since last year.

It has also been trying to build up a comprehensive breeding system in the province, to maintain the production of chicken and meat, and to increase the proportion of livestock raising in agricultural economy, said Song.

The state has made a strong emphasis on the market-oriented production in agriculture this year, calling on the farmers to make timely shifts according to the real needs of the markets both at home and abroad, and eco-friendly and sustainable development of agriculture has also been strongly supported.

The central government is to reduce the grain yield by 10 million tons to 490 million tons for the whole nation this year.

The bumper harvest in the consecutive years has brought the Central government heavier financial burden in surplus grains storage. And the lower purchasing prices have made grain growing less profitable.

The province has so far invested 950,000 yuan in building 173, 000 hectares of pasture to improve its ecological condition. And the growth rate of the livestock industry is expected to be around seven percent.

The World Bank's loans in the beef processing industry has also inspired the rural people to take up cattle raising.



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