Fourteen provinces in west China have established an
agricultural information demonstration network to promote modern
agricultural production, according to the Ministry of Information
Industry yesterday.
Officials with the ministry said these demonstration projects
are part of China's national agricultural information service
network that is still under construction.
The ministry said new information technology is playing an
important role in west China to improve local agricultural
production and narrow the "digital gap" with the east.
According to the ministry, an Internet agricultural experts
system has been promoted in more than 1,000 towns in
Sichuan Province, which has helped plant over?5 million
mu (about 330,000 hectares) of high-yield crops, earning
local farmers over 80 million yuan (US$9.9 million) in additional
income.
The ministry said about 200 agricultural information technology
demonstration projects have been established across China, making
the Internet an effective form of support to China's modern
agricultural progress.
(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2006)