More young farmers shop for agricultural materials online: report

GUANGZHOU -- China has more young farmers who prefer to buy agricultural materials online, according to a recent report released by e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Alibaba launched a promotion campaign on agricultural production resources on its e-commerce platform Taobao from March 1 to 20.

Statistics from Alibaba showed that the number of farmers who bought farm equipment, tools as well as fertilizer on the platform during the promotion has risen 120 percent from a year ago, according to the report.

It also noted that over 60 percent of the farmers engaged in the promotion were born in 1980s, while an increasing number of farmers born in 1990s have been involved in the agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, Chinese farmers tend to buy organic or environment-friendly fertilizer rather than chemical fertilizer, the report said. The trading volume of the organic and environment-friendly fertilizer rose 266.8 percent from the previous year.