Although China's agriculture has seen an increase of farmers' incomes over the last two years, it remains an onerous task for the country to maintain its momentum. Per capita income in rural areas will reach about 3,500 yuan (US$415) this year, an increase of more than 5 percent over last year, but it still lags behind the rapid increases of urban wages in the past few years. The widening gap between the urban and rural areas is mainly due to farmers' failure to find better-paid jobs and the relatively low price of agricultural produce.
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