China's quality supervisor said on Thursday it would step up quality checks of goods, especially home appliances, food and construction materials, in the countryside during the New Year and the Spring Festival.

The checks would focus on "refashioned appliances," which are made of used or even dumped appliances but sold at the prices of new models, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ).

In efforts to increase farmers' living standard and boost consumption, China is encouraging more farmers to buy household appliances.

Late last month, the Chinese government said it would offer a 13 percent subsidy to farmers buying designated brands of TV sets, refrigerators, mobile phones and washing machines at capped prices of 2,000, 2,500, 1,000 and 2,000 yuan, respectively.

On Wednesday, China's State Council, the Cabinet, said it would increase the variety of commodities available in rural markets, give more subsidies to encourage farmers to buy more goods and ensure the quality of household appliances with good after-sales services.

The GAQSIQ also said it would step up checks of food, liquor, fiber products and construction materials, which consumers in the countryside complain most. In some cases, cotton is replaced by cheap synthetic fibre in quilts.

The GAQSIQ will work closely with related governmental agencies, conduct strict checks and impose heavy punishment on the producers and traders who make or sell substandard goods, it said, without giving further details.

The New Year and the Spring Festival, which falls on January 25, are among the most important holidays for the Chinese, when families get reunioned. Rural families usually make bulk purchases as migrant workers go back home with their savings.

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2008)