Chinese farmers see income rise as rural industries boost jobs

With rural industries creating more job opportunities, the income of farmers in China continued to rise in the first three months of this year, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Friday.

The per capita disposable income of Chinese rural residents in the first quarter reached 7,003 yuan ($959.4), an increase of 6.5 percent after adjusting for inflation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Pan Wenbo, head of the ministry's crop management department, said that rural industries are improving in quality and efficiency. From January to March, the added value of agricultural and sideline food processing enterprises increased by 7.2 percent year-on-year.

"New industries and businesses in rural areas are flourishing, with food tourism, rural homestays, and countryside sightseeing becoming increasingly popular vacation choices for urban and rural residents," Pan said at a news conference.

He added that online retail sales of agricultural products continue to grow rapidly.

"Rural consumption is expanding, with retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas up 4.9 percent year-on-year," Pan said, adding that agricultural exports grew by 6.8 percent year-on-year in RMB terms.

Additionally, grain and oil production has gotten off to a good start. Efforts have been made to ensure solid spring field management and plowing, laying a strong foundation for the summer harvest and the overall annual grain yield, according to him.

The area sown with winter rapeseed has seen a steady increase, and crop growth is better than both last year and the historical average, Pan said.

As of the end of March, there were 40.39 million breeding sows nationwide. In the first three months, the total output of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry reached 25.4 million tons, increasing 2 percent year-on-year, while milk production was 8.92 million tons, up 1.7 percent.

In response to the profit loss in beef and dairy farming, the government continues to roll out relief measures. "As a result, live cattle prices have seen modest increases for nine consecutive weeks, and raw milk prices have gradually stabilized," Pan said.