More Chinese farmers benefit from agricultural information services

Monday, October 30, 2006

“I receive text messages on my mobile phone from a horticultural expert,” said Guo Kebing, a farmer in the suburbs of Chongqing Municipality. He planted 33 hectares of sweet wormwood this year.

Like Guo, more and more Chinese farmers will benefit from an agricultural information service website which was officially launched on Thursday in Chongqing, after a month of tests. “It’s time to treat your sweet wormwood plants to stop them getting mildew…” This text message to the cellphone of a farmer in southwest China advised him what pesticide to use to prevent mildew forming on his plants.

“I receive text messages on my mobile phone from a horticultural expert,” said Guo Kebing, a farmer in the suburbs of Chongqing Municipality. He planted 33 hectares of sweet wormwood this year.

In the past, he suffered losses of up to 10,000 yuan (1,265 U.S. dollars) for failing to effectively prevent the mildew, a disease which damages crop harvests.

Like Guo, more and more Chinese farmers will benefit from an agricultural information service website which was officially launched on Thursday in Chongqing, after a month of tests.

The “www.12582.com” website was set up by China Mobile Communications Corporation, the biggest telecommunications operator in the country, at a cost of 100 million yuan (about 12.6 million U.S. dollars).

The website sends sound and text messages — in Chinese, Tibetan, Uygur and Mongol — about planting techniques and farm produce.

“It only costs Guo two yuan (0.25 U.S. dollars) a month for a service package on agricultural techniques, labor market information and produce prices,” said Wang Jianzhou, president of China Mobile.

Farmers can receive technical guidance about crop planting and husbandry, and release information about supply or demand for their own farm produce on the platform, according to Wang.

Continue reading “More Chinese farmers benefit from agricultural information services

Source: People’s Daily Online (link opens in a new window)