Shanghai Daily News

As the local home for melon and fruit production, Nanhui District officials are taking various measures to help farmers increase their annual income.

One measure that the government can be proud of is an initiative that asks the farmers to work in groups. Each features a leader who is responsible for the group's daily affairs, such as selling fruits to supermarkets as well as discussing and dealing with their difficulties.

"This way, the farmers don't have to go to the market to sell their fruits themselves," said Chen Zhigang, one of the group leaders. "The farmers need only to take their melons and fruit to the group. The leaders will help them to do the business. They will help them sort their fruit and pack them for transport to downtown and get a higher price in the process."

Preferential policies for the farmers have also been implemented. Now, there is no need for them to worry about natural disasters, such as typhoon, storm and drought. They will still be paid if bad weather causes them a big loss. For example, when Typhoon Matsa came to Shanghai a year ago, most of the crops were badly damaged on the farms. However, the government compensated the farmers 450,000 yuan (US$56,250) for their losses.

Secondly, the government is holding regular fruit exhibitions around the city to let local residents get a further understanding of what is being produced. The latest was held last week and attracted more than 100 domestic agricultural companies.

Finally, the government is also testing the fruit to make sure of its high quality. Some agricultural experts will be invited to Nanhui to spread planting knowledge and to promote good methods of keeping fruit from spoiling.

According to government records, each farmer, on average, increased their annual income by 2,000 yuan last year. At present, 106 groups with 33,000 farmer members have been formed in the district.

Nanhui is well known for its various kinds of farm products, such as eggs, watermelon and peaches. In recent years, the district's fruit has been transported to Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and southern China.

The district holds about a 30-percent share of the produce sold in local markets. In addition, Nanhui peaches holds a 90-percent share in local markets.

District officials said that they wanted to spread Nanhui agriculture products further around the country in the future.