From The Chinese Press

Cultivating farm incomes

A farmer in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province triggered much controversy when he said in an interview with CCTV that his annual income could reach about 300,000 yuan ($47,000). However, the annual income of one farmer cannot represent the actual income level nationwide, according to an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Many people believe the amount the farmer gave was exaggerated, but it's not impossible. The farmer works for a State-owned farm in the country's biggest agriculture demonstration zone and boasts of the highest level of mechanization. In this case, a family can till 500 mu (33 hectares) of farmland, or even more, and not surprisingly gain an annual income of hundreds of thousands of yuan.