China should take more creative steps to help farmers find jobs in their hometowns, as the number of rural residents moving to cities for work has slowed, and salaries have fallen, political advisers say.
Chen Xiwen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said there are fundamental reasons for the trend. China's economic growth has slowed and industries are restructuring, so the number of new jobs being created in cities for migrant workers has reduced. Moreover, China's agricultural products are not very competitive in terms of quality, and there is a gap between supply and demand from the market.
Chen said that China should speed up agricultural technology innovation, which could help produce products of a better quality and in large enough volumes. Ecommerce, which could help farmers sell agricultural products directly to customers, is also considered an effective way to help farmers increase income.
Zhu Yongxin, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, said that, among China's 588,000 villages, half did not generate income from business activities, and about 30 percent had income from business activities, but only less than 50,000 yuan annually.
He suggested that China should improve the business environment in order to develop a collective economy in rural areas.
Chen added that Chinese villages should develop primary and secondary industries, and also a service sector, which could boost economic development in the villages and create more local jobs for rural residents.
"The villages should develop more value-added products, traditional handicraft industries, and also the countryside travel or leisure agriculture, which will definitely create new jobs for farmers and increase their income," he said.