Henan to train 1 million 'professional farmers' by 2020

ZHENGZHOU -- The central province of Henan will train more than one million "new, professional farmers" to provide "solid support" for its agricultural modernization, authorities said Thursday.

Henan has more than 100 million registered residents, a substantial share being farmers. The province produces about a quarter of the country's wheat. The challenges of an aging population and a workforce increasingly attracted by industrial employment opportunities, the province faces the daunting task of ensuring it has sufficient farmers to support agricultural development. 

According to Henan Department of Agriculture, the province will train 200,000 professional farmers each year and have a farming workforce of at least one million by 2020.

The courses will include professional agricultural skills and entrepreneurship skills, according to the department. The government will choose individuals with a long-track record of large-scale agricultural production including leaders of rural cooperatives, rural company managers and returning migrant workers.