BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- On hearing the news that the Chinese government will stop imposing the agricultural taxes in 2006, migrant worker Zhang Wenlong, who leaves his hometown Baiyangdian to work in Beijing, said: "It is too good to be true."

    The young man from north China's Hebei Province immediately phoned his family members, telling them with great excitement: "Wewill never pay the taxes since next year".

    As a matter of fact, the Chinese government has annulled the agricultural taxes in many provinces and autonomous regions this year, but Hebei Province is still excluded.

    At the ongoing Third Session of the Tenth National People's Congress, Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao reiterated it is one of the central government's most important tasks to solve the problems in China's agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

    The government decided to stop imposing the agricultural taxes in all the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities since next year, achieving the goal from the originally-set five years to three years.

    "I was deeply touched by Premier Wen's words because he really takes farmers' interests at heart," said 62-year-old farmer Liu Wanquan in Tianpu Village of the city of Neijiang, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

    "Exempted from agricultural taxes while receiving the government's subsidies, Chinese farmers are living a happy life today," Liu said.

    Meanwhile, the central government also decided that children from the rural poverty-stricken families in China's major poverty-alleviation counties will be exempted from the charges on textbooks and some additional expenses and of whom the boarder will receive life allowances from the government.

    To the elderly farmer Chen Yichang in the county of Guangchang,east China's Jiangxi Province, this policy means a solid guarantee for the education of his little grandson.

    Chen said he had eked out a living with the little boy ever since his grandson's parents divorced. He had been long worried about the schooling problem of little Chen, but now he could "set his heart at rest" when hearing the policy.

    The past few years' government work reports were commented by farmers as "practical".

    Last year, Premier Wen announced in his government work report to cancel the agricultural taxes within five years and stressed the importance of giving special attention to China's agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

    The premier's commitments are being realized at an amazing speed.

    The central government paid 263 billion yuan (about 31.68 billion US dollars) to support the agriculture development in rural areas in 2004, 22.5 percent more than that in 2003.

    It also allocated 12.2 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion US dollars) to poverty-alleviation.

    All the policies bring delight and confidence to the farmers.

    According to the National Statistics Bureau, the income of Chinese farmers increased by 6.8 percent in 2004, the highest growth rate since 1997. The gross crops output grew by nine percent, a sharp rebound after a consecutive five-year drop.

    Forty-year-old Huang Yong from Xiantansi Village of Yuechi County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, had run a small business in the nearby market, but did not gain much profit.

    Last year, hearing the central government's agriculture-preferential decision, Huang resolutely gave up his business and contracted ten mu (about 0.67 hectares) of land, growing sugarcanes and gingers.

    Earning more than 5,000 yuan (about 600 US dollars) last year, he expected the government will bring more benefits to them. Enditem