Vice Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie has said that China's agriculture and rural areas have seen good momentum in stable, harmonious development in recent years. It has become the best development period in China's rural areas and agricultural history.
Yin Chengjie said the income of farmers has seen continuous and rapid growth; while the channels for greater income become broader and broader. Farmers' home business income, salary income, transferred income and property income, have all increased to a certain extent.
Farmers' per capita income in 2006 reached 3,587 yuan – 7.4% more than the same period of the previous year. Farmers' income has seen an increase of 6% for three consecutive years, the first of such increases in income since 1985.
In the first half of this year, farmers' per capita income reached 2,111 yuan – 13.3% more than the same period last year; and the fastest increase since 1995.
Meanwhile, rural infrastructure construction, education, sanitation and culture, have also experienced progress. Farmers' living standards have further improved. The Rural Engel Coefficient has seen a steady decrease from 46.24% in 2002, to 43.02% in 2006.
However, Yin Chengjie pointed out that although farmers' income has increased rapidly in recent years; it is still lower than the income of city and town residents. The gap in income between rural and urban residents is still expanding both relatively and absolutely. In 2006, the ratio in income for urban residents to rural farmers was 3.3:1.
Yin said the policy of supporting and benefiting farmers will be improved and strengthened. Modern agricultural development will speed up, and surplus labor in rural areas will be transferred to urban areas. Comprehensive, rural reform will be deepened in order to promote the sustained, rapid increase in farmers' income.
By People's Daily Online
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