According to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)in Beijing on Thursday, during the January-June period per capita income from the sales of agricultural products was 469 yuan, 30 yuan more than that for the same period of last year.

The NBS attributes the increase mostly to sales of last year's agricultural surplus in the first three months of this year.

Statistics show that the average income of farmers earned from non-farming sectors reached 566 yuan, 28 yuan more than that for the same period of last year, due to the rise in temporary rural workers in the cities.

The NBS also said that taxation system experiments in rural areas eased the burden for many farmers, boosting their incomes.

In the first six months, farmers'per capita tax was 18 yuan, 0.7 yuan lower year-on-year.

(eastday.com July 26, 2002)