The municipal government announced Monday it will give out a total of 8 million RMB yuan (966,180 US dollars) in special subsidies to local farmers, who have suffered diminished incomes due to SARS, reports Tuesday's China Daily.

Wang Yongfu, a middle-aged farmer planting peaches in eastern Beijing's Pinggu County, said he was in need of special government support. He is anxious about selling all his peaches which are overstocked due to transport being restricted during the SARS outbreak.

However, Wang might not get the subsidy he wants, because the limited amount of money would only go to those evaluated by local officials as "the most needy", said Zhang Xiaolan, a leading official at the rural work committee of the Beijing Party Committee.

Therefore, the essential way to get the greatest number of local farmers out of the hardship is to create more channels to raise incomes, said Zhang.

Now the committee has launched a new project to develop folk tourism in Beijing rural areas.

(People’s Daily July 1, 2003)