Tens of thousands of farmers have benefited from computer and Internet skills in this port city's administrative region, according to the local government.

A government-sponsored project in the Liaoning Province city has helped the farmers sell their products and so increase their earnings.

Yang Baixin, vice-head of the Municipal Bureau of Information Industry, said, "It has improved agricultural efficiency, increased farmers' incomes and promoted the development of the rural economy."

Large agricultural households, farmers brokers and heads of professional associations are the main targets of the scheme, as they can then teach other farmers.

More than 100 training sessions have been held in the past two years.

After receiving training, the farmers can publish trading information and look for orders on the Internet.

Wang Yingxiang, a farmer in Jinzhou district engaged in flower growing, is just one person to have benefited.

Wang has tried out 20 new varieties of flowers, which she learned about online. After successfully planting the flowers, she looked for sale channels online.

She sold 300,000 pots of flowers and 170,000 cut flowers, valued at 1.5 million yuan (US$181,000), making a profit of 200,000 yuan (US$24,000) last year.

Access to the Internet has also saved Gougougao Poultry Ltd Co, a private enterprise engaged in agricultural production, processing and sales.

Last year, its chicken products were not selling well because the market was affected by a poultry disease.

Later, the company published its sales information online, which led to orders from Japan and Russia as well as Beijing and Shanghai.

With an annual production of 300,000 chickens, the company is still not meeting consumers' demands.

The firm is making efforts to expand its processing capability.

Statistics from the Municipal Bureau of Information Industry show that sales for Internet-related agricultural products reach 50,000 tons and 150 million yuan (US$18 million) each year.

To encourage and support more farmers to study advanced technology, the municipal government is supplying one third of the money needed for 140 large agricultural families and associations to purchase computers.

In addition, an agricultural information network at municipal, county and village levels, has been developed.

From this timely, accurate and effective product and market information is provided to farmers.

Rural women are also benefiting.

In the past three years, 6,000 rural women have been trained to use the Internet at hundreds of training classes.

And these have helped another 13,000 women master the computer.

At the beginning, many women felt computers were too expensive and doubted whether the Internet could bring them benefits, but that has now changed.

The local Women's Federation held lectures and organized them to visit companies with good electronics business, to let them realize the convenience and benefits of the Internet.

Last year, the city invested 300,000 yuan (US$36,300) to encourage rural women to go online.

The federation also encouraged the pioneers to help more women become rich through Internet business.

(China Daily April 11, 2005)