According to The Opinions of Supporting Development of Family Farms issued by Yichang Municipal Government Office on August 2, since 2013, we shall develop 1000 family farms each year, fostering 100 family farms for demonstration per year, and by the end of 2017, the number of family farms in Yichang will have summed to 5000.

　　As the opinions indicate, we shall give correct guidance to farmers as to the transfer of land use rights on a compensated, voluntary basis and in accordance with the law, so that we can develop appropriate scale farms, which is guided by the principle of “government-led, farmer voluntarily, acting according to circumstance, appropriate scale, policy support and accelerating development” and based on household contract responsibility system.

　　In addition to that, local rural administrative department concerned and industrial and commercial administrative departments shall provide help for farmers in terms of guidance, management and registration. And financial sector shall raise a special fund for developing family farms. We can use this fund to give appropriate subsidies for family farms, such as the transfer of land, forest land, river or pond use rights, with the focus on supporting carrying out management knowledge and technical training for farmers, the setting and certification of agricultural products quality standard, agricultural production infrastructure, and brand publicity as well as product promotion.

　　It is said that farmers that engage in developing family farms is also entitled to participation of the agricultural projects such as construction of standard garden, agriculture industrialization, brand publicity, and equally enjoy the same preferential policy as farmers’ professional cooperative. According to the opinion, agricultural land use of family farm like agricultural production base, farming base, agricultural machinery demonstration and promotion land, and land for green house and aquatic operations, provided that there is no construction of permanent buildings on these lands, can be regarded as land for agricultural production. Whereas non-agricultural construction land that family farm need to start a processing enterprise, if meeting the requirement of overall plan for land utilization, shall take priority in arrangement of land use over other purposes. If family farms involve in planting and breeding industry, the price of their power consumption for the purpose of planting and breeding shall follow the price standard of agricultural production. And the transport of fresh agricultural products of family farm shall enjoy the preferential policy such as the “green channel” and allowance for purchasing agricultural machinery.

　　The opinions also point out that we encourage college graduates, migrant workers, rural agents, and individual businesses, to set up family farms. And the line of credit can be extended for family farms with market competitive and good credit. Besides, the owner of family farm can legally apply for mortgage loan which places a mortgage on the family farm as real estate.

　　(Reporter Zhao Wei)