Beijing farmers get richer, and that's peachy

Beijing's Pinggu district has been making use of the internet and e-commerce to promote local peaches, which has helped farmers become richer.

Ma Chaoying, mayor of Liujiadian town in Pinggu, said the district has delivered 1.8 million online orders of peaches since June, which means a total income of 120 million yuan ($17 million) for local farmers.

The government has organized e-commerce experts to train farmers to transform the local peach farming industry into a modernized internet-plus business.

Hu Dianwen, 60, a local farmer, produces 25,000 kilograms of peaches annually with the help of the local government.

His income had soared from 40,000 yuan to 150,000 yuan, he said.