China's Gov't Warns 2009 to be "the toughest" Year Since 2000

    MARKET MONITORING

    The government also hoped to strike the balance between farm produce supply and demand this year to prevent low prices from hurting farmers' incomes.

    The document said the authorities would closely track local and overseas farm produce markets and use all possible measures when necessary to secure the steady growth of rural households' income.

    It urged authorities to "measure the timing and pace" of farm produce imports and exports to avoid flooding the domestic market with imports of farm produce and closer communication among governments, industrial associations and enterprises.

    China would also optimize its market access system this year inline with the requirements of the World Trade Organization to allow foreign investment in farm produce and farming materials production.

    The government would modify the regulatory mechanism for farming produce exports and imports to provide a smooth channel for governments between different countries, associations, and enterprises to communicate and resolve problems.

    Governors would continue to be held responsible for grain production. An evaluation system would be set up to monitor the performance of authorities in the protection of arable land, water resources, and macro-economic control in the production and distribution of grain crops.

    Under the document, different areas are encouraged to take the advantage of local soil and weather conditions to increase crop yields. For example, northeast regions and Inner Mongolia would be encouraged to produce soybeans while the Yangtze River valley would focus on high quality rape.

    An industrial development plan in terms of oil tree plantations would also be mapped out as soon as possible, it said.

    UNDERSCORE FARMLAND LEASE, TRANSFER REFORM

    The document reiterated that the government would continue with and improve the household contract responsibility system that entrusts the management and production of publicly-owned farmlands to individual households through long-term contracts.

    It also underscored farmers' rights to transfer their farmland use rights to others, but farmlands were still of collective ownership, and the land could be used only for farming.

    No institutions or individuals could interfere with or force the transfer of the land, it added.

    The government encouraged local authorities to establish organizations to provide farmers with land transfer information, legal advice, dispute settlement and other services.

    It also said the government would finish collective forestry mechanism reform in five years, promoting a household contract system in the management of collective forestry land and ownership of wood nationwide.

    HUGE MARKET POTENTIAL

    The government would extend its rural subsidy scheme for home appliance purchases nationwide in an effort to boost rural consumption this year.

    It would provide a 13-percent subsidy to all rural buyers of home appliances, including color TVs, refrigerators, mobile phones, washing machines and freezers.

    A trial scheme had been conducted in 12 provinces, which had seen a boost in home appliance sales.

    More items would be added to the list if necessary, said the document, which called for the expansion of chain stores in rural areas and better delivery and billing systems.

    It also encouraged local governments to establish rural service centers to enhance chain store management and strengthen market supervision.

    China should "especially place priority on tapping the rural market and developing the countryside" to alleviate the effects of the global financial crisis, said Vice Premier Wang Qishan last month.



China boosts rural consumption with household appliance subsidy program

    BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- For 10 years, the most valuable household appliance in herdsman Chaolu's home in north China's Inner Mongolia was the 14-inch TV set, purchased when he earned about 4,000 yuan (580 U.S. dollars) a year.

    "I could not bring myself to buy a new TV set, although the old one often failed to work properly. I had to support a family with very little money." Full story

Chinese gov't pledges better quality supervision over farm products

    BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- China pledged on Sunday to step up efforts for stricter quality supervision over farm products in the government's first document this year.

    The country would prepare for the introduction of the long-awaited food safety law with new and modified regulations on farm product quality, according to the first document of the year jointly issued Sunday by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council. Full story

China moves to tap rural market potential

    BEIJING, Feb.1 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday extended it rural subsidy scheme for home appliance purchases nationwide in an effort to boost rural consumption, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council announced in the first joint document this year.

    The document said the government would provide a 13-percent subsidy to all rural buyers of home appliances, including color TVs, refrigerators, mobile phones, washing machines and freezers.

Hu, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday. Attendees at the meeting studied the means to promote agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. Full story

Rural home appliance sales grow under national subsidy program

    BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Home appliance sales in China's countryside has been stirred up as the government offered subsidies to rural buyers of those products to lift domestic consumption, the People's Daily reported Thursday.

    In the first 20 days of January, Chinese farmers bought more than 160,000 items of home appliances on government subsidies, 90 percent of the total in December, the newspaper said, citing Ministry of Commerce (MOC) sources. Full story

China pledges to increase rural income 

    BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China concluded its annual two-day central rural work conference Sunday with a pledge to give priority to maintaining steady and relatively fast rural and agricultural development, ensuring supplies of farm produce and facilitating income increases for farmers in 2009.

    Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu attended the conference and delivered a speech. Full story

 

China raises poverty standards, 28 mln rural residents to benefit 

    BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government said Saturday it would expand coverage of its anti-poverty program in rural areas next year to include an additional 28.41 million residents.

    Fan Xiaojian, director of the Office for Poverty Alleviation and Development under the State Council, said rural residents with an annual per capita income of less than 1067 yuan (156 U.S. dollars) would begin to be covered in the country's poverty-relief program next year.

China aims for steady, relatively fast rural, agricultural development

    BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China concluded its annual two-day central rural work conference Sunday with a pledge to give priority to maintaining steady and relatively fast rural and agricultural development, ensuring supplies of farm produce and facilitating income increases for farmers in 2009.

    Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu attended the conference and delivered a speech. Full story

China's agriculture insurance income exceeds 10 bln yuan by Nov.
 
    BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's agriculture insurance income reached 10.54 billion yuan (1.54 billion U.S. dollars) by this November, soaring 112 percent compared with the same period last year, the country's top insurance regulator announced here Saturday.

    "With what we have achieved in 2008, we will further develop insurance related to agriculture, farmers and rural areas in 2009," said Wu Dingfu, chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). Full story

CPC pledges to build modern industrial system for agriculture

    BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) plans to build a market-oriented industrial system for the country's agriculture sector with a necessary method of technological progress.

    In a lengthy document unveiled by the CPC Central Committee on Sunday, the Party said it would lead infrastructure construction of the agricultural process, circulation and transport to the places that needed it most. Full story

Chinese President underscores breakthroughs in reform, development in rural areas

    ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao stressed three breakthroughs in rural restructuring, modern agriculture and rural public facilities to push forward reform and development in the countryside.

    Hu made the remarks during a visit to central Henan Province from Monday to Wednesday, where he met with local officials, farmers and entrepreneurs. Full story