Provincial Government Increases Subsidies for Tobacco Production

Source from:  xinhua. con 06/23/2005

The government of central China's Henan Province has decided to extend 250 million yuan (30 million U.S. dollars) in subsides for tobacco production in the province for the year 2005, an increase of 85 percent over 2004. In 2005, Henan has grown 1.247 million mu (83,133 hectares) of tobacco. Therefore, the unit subsidy for tobacco production in the province in 2005 will amount to over 2,700 yuan (325 U.S. dollars) per hectare. The subsidization will include free cultivation of fields, supply of free pesticides and the supply of chemical fertilizers at half the price. In light of the phenomenon that farmers normally are unaware of the latest production technology, the provincial government has so far this year sponsored free professional training of 500,000 tobacco growers, and has designated more than 6,000 technicians to offer technical guidance in fields. In strengthening the fight against pests and plant diseases, State-run tobacco companies in all tobacco-growing areas in the province has ordered pesticides in a unified way and distributed them to farmers free of charge, covering all the tobacco plantations in Henan. In an effort to minimize risks in production, the provincial government has extended an extra 2.5 million yuan (301,200 U.S. dollars) for building intensive curing barns to provide tobacco growers with automatic or semi-automatic services of leaf tobacco curing. Enditem