China launched a month-long promotion campaign Saturday for its
second agricultural census, the world's largest.
The census provides the foundation for improving the country's
rural policies, said Xie Fuzhan, head of the National Bureau of
Statistics, at the launch ceremony.
The national investigation will last from January 1 next year to
the end of April, covering more than 200 million rural households
and employing over 7 million investigators.
Information will be collected mainly through on-the-spot
inquiries about agricultural production, employment, migration,
environmental conditions, use of land, fixed-asset investment and
quality of life in rural areas.
The promotion campaign is designed to make people understand the
significance of the census and fully cooperate with the
investigation, said Xie.
China carried out the first agricultural census in 1996.
Since then, the Chinese government has adopted a series of
policies to protect farmer's interests, including abolishing
agricultural taxes, providing subsidies and setting a minimum price
for grain and a maximum price for fertilizers.
Official data show the per capita cash income of Chinese farmers
in the first nine months of the year reached 2,762 yuan (US$345),
up 11.4 percent year on year.
(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2006)