英语阅读：Protecting farmers from callous frauds
To boost commercial consumption in rural areas during the economicslowdown, the central government is encouraging makers of home appliances to
promote sales of their products in the countryside.
Under it, the government subsidizes 13 percent of the retail price of much
needed household items for rural buyers.
Farmers have welcomed the scheme, which translates as "home appliances
going to the countryside", and early indications point to its success.
At a press conference held during the annual session of the National
People's Congress last month, Li Yizhong, minister of industry and information
science, said the project had spurred business for makers of electronic
products, home appliances, steel and chemical products.
But frauds always emerge as a fly in the ointment.
To date, they have falsely sold fake TV sets, washing machines,
refrigerators and air-conditioners to farmers in the name of the scheme.
These electrical appliances have been revamped from used machines collected
in cities as garbage.
Dodgy manufacturers have used second-hand machines' circuitry and replaced
the shell with a fresh one to make the product appear new.
And the logos they use look very much like famous brands.
For example, some fakes have been branded TGL to look like TCL, a famous TV
brand.
These fakes are sold at low prices but profits are still sizeable given the
extremely low costs.
As core components of the machines are seriously worn after years of use,
hazards lurk inside these shoddy commodities. They can cause fire, injury or
death.
Producers of these fake home appliances are not necessarily illegal
enterprises.
The fact they are sold in regular shops in tandem with genuine brands
indicate these companies are also legally registered.
The problem lies in how they passed quality examinations to be granted a
license to be sold in exclusive shops for the government subsidy scheme.
Solutions lie with local authorities.
Manufacturers of shoddy and fake products are mostly small companies that
contribute significantly to local revenues. This contribution is very important
to the growth of the local economy, which matters greatly to officials' work
performance.
The officials also attach great importance to the companies' employment of
local workers.
Criteria to gauge local officials' administrative performances are divided
into two categories - the so-called "hard" ones, such as economic development;
and the "soft" ones, such as environment protection.
The first category is called "hard" because they are more tangible and
instantly effective; the second group is "soft" because they need longer to
manifest, usually longer than a local leader's tenure.
Gross domestic product (GDP) growth and employment are the two major hard
indices. Local officials tend to give most of their concerns to these two
indices. That explains why they favor local industrial enterprises and tend to
protect them.
In the case of farmers being cheated with fake home appliances, local
governments should not limit the punishment to mere financial penalties but
should rather revoke licenses in the event of violations. For these counterfeit
producers should be eradicated to protect farmers' consumer rights.
Only by eliminating such frauds can a healthy and favorable environment for
development emerge.
And this will be a real boost to the local economy.
E-mail: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn
页:
[1]