China to speed up e-commerce development for agriculture

China will speed up e-commerce development for the farming and agriculture sector, according to an action plan released last Friday.
 

China will establish sound e-commerce infrastructure and policies while nurturing a batch of influential agricultural e-commerce brands in the next three years, according to the joint plan from the ministries of agriculture and commerce and the National Development Reform Commission.
 

Farming in China has been booming for more than three decades but has not kept pace with demographic changes and advances in technology. Inefficient sales channels, a shrinking labor force and financing difficulties have been squeezing farmers' earnings and dragging down the rural economy.
 

The action plan maps out 20 specific targets including connecting e-commerce platforms to develop agricultural business and expanding market channels to facilitate agricultural e-commerce growth.