China's farmers go organic

When Yao Huifeng quit his well-paying job at a medical company to grow rice six years ago, he was nicknamed "Yao the idiot".Now people call him "Manager Yao" due to his successful career transition.

From city life to farm work in Yifeng county, Jiangxi province, Yao has tried various methods for growing high-quality rice, the only constant being that his produce is organic.

He avoids using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and leaves the field fallow for a season to guarantee quality, which is what Chinese middle-class consumers now care about most.

His rice sells for 10 yuan ($1.45) per kilogram, three times higher than average, yet it is still popular.

Last year, his success drew more than 70 local farmers to join his rice cooperative.

"Ninety percent of the local field shave switched to organic rice, and the economic output in our cooperative has exceeded 4 million yuan," Yao said.

Organic farming, and eco-farming in a broader sense, is becoming increasingly popular in the world's most populous nation amid growing concerns for food safety.

China has become the world's fourth-largest organic food consumer, but organic food penetration is still small, taking up only about 1.5 percent of the country's food market share, according to a report by Zero Power Intelligence Group, a research institution headquartered in Shenzhen.

A governmental document issued earlier this week called for increased output of high-quality products based on "green" and innovative production.

It also said the country would maintain a zero increase in the use of pesticides and fertilizers.