Fourteen provinces in west China have established an agricultural information demonstration network to promote modern agricultural production, according to the Ministry of Information on Saturday.

Officials with the ministry said these demonstration projects are part of China's national agricultural information service network which is still under construction.

The ministry said new information technology is playing an important role in west China to improve local agricultural production and narrow the "digital gap" with the east.

According to the ministry, an Internet agricultural experts system has been promoted in more than 1,000 towns in Sichuan Province, which has helped plant over five million mu (about 330,000 hectares) of high-yield crops, earning local farmers over 80 million yuan (US$9.9 million) in additional income.

The ministry said about 200 agricultural information technology demonstration projects have been established across China, making the Internet an effective form of support to China's modern agricultural progress.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2006)