China's ministry of agriculture says that output increased in the first half of this year.
Agriculture in China has fed the country and fostered its people for centuries. Even more impressively, China feeds 22% of the earth's population with only 7% of its farmland.
But in recent years, Chinese farmers earning a relatively low income have widened the gap between urban residents and the rural population.
To bridge the gap and build a new socialist countryside, the country says that developing modern agriculture is the primary way to increase farmers' earnings.
Thanks to encouraging policies set by the ministry, rural residents gained more tangible benefits in the first half of this year.
Yin Chengjie, Vice Minister of Agriculture,said, "In the first half of 2007, farmers cash incomes in China increased by 13.5% compared to the same period of last year. The number means an over 6% increase in three consecutive years. It is also the fastest pace of increase in this sector since 2005."
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has offered increased subsidies and established mechanisms to improve the welfare of the nation's over 900 million farmers.
The vice minister says achievements include improving the rural tax-fee system. He said,"Last year, the central government ended a 2600-year-old policy, which required farmers to hand grains and pay tax to the government annually, making a historical breakthrough in the sector of the rural tax-fee system.
Meanwhile, the launch of law on land contract in rural areas and property law guaranteed the farmer's operational right of farmland. And the minimum living allowance system in rural areas has also made sound achievements. These show a deeper reform in rural development are taking place smoothly."
Yin Chengjie also said that the development of rural areas in China is only just beginning. He said despite difficulties, the country will continue to ramp up development of agriculture production, boosting incomes and raising farming efficiency. He added these are the primary solutions to improve the living standards of the country's rural population.