Though complete statistics are still not available to assess the impact of the bird flu outbreak in China's rural areas, it is high time to make every effort to minimize farmers' losses.

On Sunday the State Council issued a notice pledging financial support to poultry farmers whose flocks have fallen victim to the avian flu virus.

That is welcome news to those farmers who have borne much of the brunt of the bird flu outbreak.

To contain the spread of the disease, the government ordered the destruction and safe disposal of all poultry within a 3 kilometer radius of infected sites. As well, mass culling and compulsory vaccination is now required for all poultry within a 5 kilometer radius.

These measures will obviously incur direct heavy losses on farmers who specialize in raising poultry, and it is clearly the government's obligation to fairly compensate them.

But most domestic farmers raise poultry in small quantities as a supplemental means of increasing their income. Their losses may appear trivial, but the aggregate impact may amount to a huge drag on their overall living standard, which is in drastic need of improvement.

Even in areas where no sign of bird flu has been found, the dwindling demand for poultry as a result of growing public fear bites deeply into farmers' pockets.

By delivering financial support ranging from tax exemptions to favorable loan policies, the new notice highlights the central government's concern for the misery of poultry raisers and traders.

Yet the success of the country's battle against the bird flu hinges not only on mass poultry slaughtering, but on the active participation of all poultry raisers. Related losses to farmers who do not specialize in poultry, no matter how small, should also be promptly compensated.

The central government has made it a top priority to solve the chronic problem of farmers' slow income growth in the so-called "No 1 document" issued earlier this month.

A speech on rural work made by Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu at the end of last year was also published by the People's Daily Monday to underline the urgency of increasing farmers' income.

Last year's SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak already exerted a negative impact on the growth of farmers' income.

Now the spreading threat of bird flu cases imposes another challenge on the country - especially to the government's promise to fatten farmers' income.

Admittedly, the central government has mapped out many substantial plans to address long-term problems that vex farmers.

But in this case the government needs to further step up its urgent support to enhance the credibility of its long-term commitment to China's farmers.

(China Daily February 17, 2004)