Raise for farmers sought

The government should raise the price it pays farmers for grain, without raising the price consumers pay, according to Yuan Longping, a renowned agricultural scientist and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The government has already implemented a series of agricultural policies to protect farmers' interests. According to Yuan, however, the policies have made only a limited contribution to farmers' welfare. Current subsidies are based on acreage rather than productivity, which is unreasonable and hurts farmers' initiative, he added.