Chinese farmers' per capita net income grew over four percent in 2001, reversing the downward trend of income growth for four years in succession, Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin said Monday.
Du said at a press conference that a number of major factors account for the growth of farmers' income, including higher prices of major farm products, especially grain prices, the development of animal husbandry, and increased income gained by farmers working in places other than their hometown.
Nevertheless, he said, farmers still do not have well- established means of income growth, as some traditional obstacles that affect farmers' income growth have not been removed.
China's grain output in 2001 is predicted to drop by some 1.9 percent to 450 million tons, Du said.
At a press conference Monday morning, the minister gave the estimation that the cotton output last year is expected to jump 20 percent to exceed 5.3 million tons, that of oilseeds would dip slightly to about 29 million tons, and the total production of sugar crops is predicted to grow 15 percent to about 87 million tons.
The production of vegetables is estimated at 445 million tons, up by five percent; while that of livestock and aquatic products would increase to various extends, he said.
(People's Daily February 4, 2002)
