BEIJING (Xinhua) -- China will improve internet services and information technology (IT) infrastructure under the "Internet Plus Agriculture" model, as decided during a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.
The move will promote integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas and bring farmers more business opportunities that help increase their income.
The market will play a greater role in the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. Internet technologies will be extensively applied to make agricultural production better targeted and effective and enable farmers to adapt to shifting market dynamics. All this is crucial to upgrading agricultural performance and raising farmers' income.
The meeting adopted several measures to develop the "Internet Plus Agriculture" model for integrated rural development, which is a high priority on the agenda of the Chinese government.
Premier Li pointed out in the government work report this year that China will advance supply-side structural reform in agriculture and develop the "Internet Plus Agriculture" model while using multiple channels to increase rural incomes, and that China will encourage the primary, secondary and tertiary industries to develop in an integrated way in rural areas.
As an important means for integrated rural development, the Internet Plus Agriculture model has made a notable difference in recent years, Li said.
"This model has played a key role in raising farmers' income and helping them tide over low prices of agricultural products. We should continue to apply it well as a matter of high priority," he said.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs show that recent years have seen new forms of industry flourish in the rural areas driven by a boom of local e-commerce.
Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com
