The per capita disposable income of farmers in Shanghai
increased by 10 percent in the first three quarters of this year,
thanks largely to accruement in housing rents, proceedings from
land transfers and various forms of social welfare.
Farmers' income in Shanghai, the economic hub of the country,
went up 10.3 percent year-on-year to 6,998 yuan (US$863) in the
January-September period, according to the municipal rural work
commission.
The growth rate was 0.7 percentage points higher than the
year-earlier level, the source said, adding that Shanghai continued
to rank first among China's provincial regions in terms of farmers'
income over the past 10 years or so, the source added.
Officials with the commission owed the fast growth in farmers'
income to the fact that more farmers began to work in enterprises
which offer the farmers higher pay, in addition to the rise in
housing rents and proceedings from land transfers.
The income growth was also attributed to increasing social
welfare, including pension and funds for education and poverty
relief as well as that for the handicapped and the low-income
earners.
Suburbs, covering more than 90 percent of Shanghai's total land
area, have become a major propeller of the local economy, the
commission said.
The rural areas realized 200 billion yuan (US$24.6 billion) in
value-added output in the first three quarters, up 19.4 percent
from the same period of last year.
(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2005)