Anthony
(2) UN to Assist Chinese Farmers
[CND, 12/13/97] A joint program of the United Nations Development Program
and the State Science and Technology Commission will provide 3.95 million
dollars to farmers in some of China's impoverished rural areas for raising
cash crops, the China Daily reported on Wednesday, as quoted by the AFP from
Beijing. Under the three-year project 60,000 farmers from 10 counties in
Anhui, Fujian, Hainan, Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi provinces will receive
assistance for raising silk-worms and growing chestnuts, traditional Chinese
herbs, greenhouse vegetables, apricots, dates, fungus and aloes.
Participating farmers will receive technical training and technological
support, and have access to "free micro-credits," which would be repayable
"when they get richer." (Fabian FANG, Ray ZHANG)
____ ____ ____