Inspection teams will be sent to four Chinese provinces in November to supervise the implementation of the central government's policies aimed at easing farmers' burdens.

Inspectors will be sent to Shandong, Henan, Hunan and Fujian to conduct sample inspections, an official with the Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing on Tuesday.

The campaign was jointly launched by ministries of agriculture, finance, and education, the National Development and Reform Commission and other authorities under the State Council.

The supervisors, assisted by local departments concerned, will mainly examine the enforcement of the government's subsidy policies to farmers concerning grain, seed, farm tools and restoration of farmland to forestry.

Efforts will also focus on checking the rectification of reckless fees imposed on farmers in such sectors as education, water, electricity, family planning, funeral, land and house building.

Any wrongdoing found in the inspection will be rectified, people responsible will be punished and money overcharged will return to farmers, the official said.

To spur grain production and reverse falling grain output, China has begun offering direct subsidies to grain growers since 2004. On Jan. 1 of this year, China abolished agriculture taxes to increase farmers revenues.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2006)