OPINION> Commentary
Create jobs in rural areas
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-06 07:47

In the face of massive lay-offs of rural migrant workers, we might as well encourage urban entrepreneurs to start up businesses in the countryside to make the best use of the idle workforce, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. The following is an excerpt:

According to a recent report, a real estate developer has made a success by renting a plot in the countryside and turning it into a modern agricultural field. He not only makes profits by selling vegetable sprouts, but also gains through attracting urban tourists.

As many experts only focus on the diversion of farmers into cities while studying how to solve China's rural problems, few are exploring how to guide urbanites to develop in the rural areas. In fact, one key way is to reduce the number of people participating in agricultural work instead of reducing the number of rural residents. To build a modern socialist countryside, we must curb the one-way drain of rural talents to cities and equip the countryside with enough talents.

If our country can make great efforts to guide urban entrepreneurs to start up businesses in the rural regions, focusing on the development of modern agriculture, services as well as other related industries, it would significantly stimulate the growth of small towns and villages and even become an engine for a new round of economic development in China.

Now, the massive return of migrant workers to their rural homes has already prepared great workforce resources for urbanites to start up businesses. If the government can encourage urban entrepreneurs on time to start businesses in the countryside, more jobs will be created in rural areas.

(China Daily 02/06/2009 page4)