'Grim times for rural earnings'

Chinese farmers have met mounting difficulties in increasing their disposable income this year mainly due to growing factory closures and fewer job opportunities, a leading agricultural expert warned yesterday.

The expert added that the continuing decline of grain prices since September may also hurt farmers' income this year despite the government's vow to increase the crops' minimum purchase prices.

"With less job opportunities for migrant workers in the cities, income of farmers as a whole will suffer a sizable loss," said Song Hongyuan, director of the Research Center for the Rural Economy in the Ministry of Agriculture during an exclusive interview with China Daily.