Per capita cash income earned by Chinese farmers grew a
year-on-year 6.5 percent in the third quarter of 2003, reversing
negative growth of 3.3 percent during the second quarter due to the
SARS outbreak.
The National Bureau
of Statistics said Wednesday farmers' per capita cash income
stood at 643 yuan (US$77.5) during the July-September period, an
increase of 44 yuan (US$5.3) from a year ago.
For the first three quarters, farmers' per capita cash income
rose a year-on-year 3.8 percent to 1,802 yuan (US$217.1), the
bureau said.
The cash increase during the third quarter was mainly because
more farmers went to work in cities, said bureau spokesman Yao
Jingyuan.
By the end of September, the number of farmers working in cities
had reached 80.7 million - a hike of 5 million people compared with
the end of June.
Farmers earned 66 yuan (US$7.9) per capita from working in
cities during the third quarter, an increase of 20.1 percent from
the same period last year.
According to Yao, China witnessed fast fixed asset investment in
rural areas during the third quarter, which helped create more job
opportunities for local farmers.
They earned 43 yuan (US$5.2) per capita from working at local
fixed asset investment projects, a year-on-year increase of 14.3
percent.
They also earned more from selling their farming products, due
to price rises, Yao said.
Farmers earned 272 yuan (US$32.8) per capita from selling farm
products during the third quarter, an increase of 7.1 percent.
After the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic was
brought under control in the third quarter, farmers were able to
resume their industrial and service sectors, Yao said.
Farmers operating within the two sectors earned 121 yuan
(US$14.6) per capita.
The expansion of the "fees-for-tax" reform in the rural area
also helped reduce farmers' financial burden, pushing up their
take-home pay, he said.
Xie Yang, a senior researcher with the Development Research
Center under the State Council, said the Chinese government has
always paid great attention to increasing farmers' income.
"The slow growth of their income has long been a headache for
the central government because it greatly affects the
implementation of the demand-stimulated policy," he said.
"If consumption in rural areas cannot be stimulated, the full
expansion of domestic demand, a strong engine for economic growth,
will not be realized."
Slow growth will hinder the overall economic development and
even undermine social stability, Xie said.
The government should continue to encourage farmers to work in
cities, he said.
The government should also strictly carry out the previously
designed measures to increase farmers' income. They include
increasing investment in agriculture and rural areas and supply and
marketing system reforms, financial system reforms, medical reforms
and "fees-for-tax" reforms in rural areas.
(China Daily October 30, 2003)