Policy Digest

Pork prices to remain steady for rest of 2022

An official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on July 20 that China's pork supply in the second half of this year is secure and prices will not see a substantial increase.

Chen Guanghua, the agricultural official, said at a news conference in Beijing that pork prices rose in late June, but have declined recently.

Chen said that seasonal reasons and a spike in demand, largely driven by a significant rise in pork consumption due to the resumption of schools, factories and catering businesses in June, were the main culprits behind the price hikes.

Other contributing factors include farmers holding out to sell at higher prices and the decline in pork imports due to COVID-19's impact on logistics, he said.

Looking ahead, Chen said the pork supply in the second half of the year will be similar to the same period in 2021, as production currently remains within an appropriate range.

Rural homestays key part of vitalization efforts

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and nine other departments have jointly issued a guideline on promoting the high-quality development of rural homestays in China in a move to bolster economic growth and promote vitalization in the countryside.

According to the guideline published on July 20, rural homestays are to improve their services to better serve tourism and visitors' needs by 2025.

The guideline sets out five priority tasks for developing rural homestays, including making them more accessible to tourists, the better use of natural and cultural resources, and urging residents and other players like farmers and cooperatives to participate in the sector by starting their own homestays.

To encourage farmers to take part, the guideline said that subsidies and low-interest loans could be provided for starting homestays or upgrading existing ones.

5,000 retired teachers returning to classrooms

Roughly 5,000 retired teachers will return to classrooms this fall in schools in less-developed areas as China steps up efforts to promote the balanced development of compulsory education and consolidate its poverty alleviation achievements, according to a notice released on July 12.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the notice about the upcoming school year's Silver Age Lecture Plan, a program launched in 2018 that sends retired teachers age 65 or under to work for at least one academic year in schools located in remote areas and regions recently lifted from poverty.

Authorities are instructed to take note of the opinions of schools and recruit the teachers who are most urgently needed.

According to the notice, the expenses for this year's program will be shared by the central government and local authorities, except in West China, where the central government will be the sole entity responsible for funding.