Source: CCTV.com

03-17-2008 11:23

Special Report:   2008 NPC & CPPCC sessions

For many low-income families, it's been no easy task to cope with rising pork-prices. There have been a slew of measures to ease their burden. But many of China's top lawmakers are concerned with setting up longer-term measures that will ensure stable supplies at affordable prices.

Many of China's top lawmakers are concerned with setting up longer-term measures that will ensure stable supplies at affordable prices.
Many of China's top lawmakers are concerned with setting up
longer-term measures that will ensure stable supplies at 
affordable prices.

Zhu Yicai is an NPC deputy who's also an farming entrepreneur from Jiangsu Province. He says proper management of the pig raising industry is needed to control big changes to supplies. And Zhu is recommending a pig-raising fund that can help stabilize prices in emergency situations.

Zhu Yicai, NPC Deputy said "For example in June 2006, when pork was selling at 6 yuan per kilogram, farmers were losing 50 to 100 yuan for every pig they raised. Many pig-breeders gave up farming, and went to the cities to find jobs as migrant workers. That led to a big shortage in supplies last year, triggering a price hike."

But with prices now on the rise, many farmer are recovering their enthusiasm to raise pigs. Deputies say this shift towards a more market-oriented approach marks a real change in China's agricultural sector.

Liu Yonghao, NPC Deputy said "Through such price-corrections and improvement, as well as more modern farming methods, the supply chain will get a chance to develop. At the same time, this will help boost farmers' incomes. I think it's a move in the right direction."

But other deputies say current measures to control prices and enlarge supplies are only temporary. They think that in the longer term, they should set up a mechanism to safeguard the raising of pigs and the supply of pork.

 

Editor:Xiong Qu