China Yet to Increase Farmers' IncomeIncreasing the income of farmers remains top priority of the Chinese Government this year, official sources said.The restructuring of the agricultural sector has made marked progress so far this year, with the acreage of grain and sugar decreasing and that of oil-yield crops and vegetables increasing, they said. Low grain prices continued to fuel the rapid growth of animal husbandry and aquatic farms in the first half of the year. The output of poultry and eggs rose 4.2 percent and milk rose 9.4 percent from the same period last year. Steady growth of agricultural production and the rural economy in China has increased the income of farmers. Official statistics show that a reduced acreage of summer crops has led to decreased grain output this year. Grain output was 107. 5 million tons, 11 million tons less than last year. However, the output of oil seeds reached a record of 10.6 million tons, while the planted rape seed reached an all-time high of seven million ha., 667,000 ha more than last year. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the cash income of farmers increased only 1.5 points in the first half of this year, leaving no optimism for the rest of the year. The profits of township enterprises reached 347.5 billion yuan (about US$42 billion), up 14.5 percent from the same period last year. The Ministry of Agriculture said that in the latter half of the year, the agricultural sector and rural economy are still facing such problems as drought and pest attacks. |
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