Credit ratings give farmers access to capital

ZHENGZHOU - Autumnal equinox, one of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, fell on Sunday, and for millions of Chinese farmers it's special - it marked China's first Farmers' Harvest Festival, which was created by the central government to honor the country's farmers.

China's major grain-supplying areas have entered harvest season, and Jia Jianyu, a 36-year-old farmer in Henan province, is busy picking honeydew melons. He once lived below the poverty line.

Jia began to cultivate melons in 2016. In his hometown, Lankao county, the melons are harvested in spring and autumn. Total revenue from a single greenhouse can reach nearly 20,000 yuan ($2,910). The business has the potential to help him shake off poverty, Jia said.