Chinese farmers hit per capita income milestone

BEIJING -- The annual per capita disposable income of Chinese farmers rose to a new high in 2022, officials said Tuesday at a press conference.

"The annual per capita disposable income of Chinese farmers in 2022 increased to 20,133 yuan ($2,955), surpassing the milestone of 20,000 yuan for the first time," Wu Hongyao, deputy director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, said at the press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office.

"Income from wages and salaries accounted for 41.96 percent of farmers' income," said Wu, adding that net income from household operations accounted for 34.63 percent.

China has further consolidated and expanded the achievements of poverty alleviation in 2022, according to Liu Huanxin, head of the National Rural Revitalization Administration, at the same press conference.

The consolidation has manifested in three ways: no large-scale backsliding into poverty; a stable employment situation; and rising incomes of the rural labor forces that have been lifted out of poverty.

Liu noted that the employment situation remained stable for those labor forces who escaped poverty, given that a total of 32.78 million migrant workers enjoyed full employment in 2022, 1.33 million people more than that of the previous year, and 2.59 million people above the annual target.

In 2022, China's annual per capita disposable income of farmers in areas just emerging from poverty grew 7.5 percent to 15,111 yuan, 1.2 percentage points higher than the national average for farmers, said Liu.

The incomes of people who walked out of poverty grew at a robust rate of 14.3 percent year-on-year to 14,342 yuan, Liu said.

China unveiled its "No 1 central document" for 2023 on Monday, outlining nine tasks for comprehensively promoting rural vitalization this year. The document highlighted tasks needed to broaden the channels for farmers to increase their incomes and promote their ability to secure wealth.