Spring is the time for planting seeds. However, in vast rural areas, some farmland is idle. Farmers complain that fertilizer is too expensive.

The country has worked out a series of preferential policies to increase farmers' incomes. Farmers have benefited a lot from the decision-making and their incomes have grown to a record high over the past eight years.

However, now farmers' enthusiasm has been dampened because of the soaring prices of fertilizers.

The increases are really startling. For example, compared with the market last year, in Hunan Province of Central China, prices have increased by up to 40 per cent.

In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, the growth in fertilizer prices is as high as 50 per cent in some places. And in Hebei Province, the prices of all kinds of fertilizers have increased by at least 20 per cent.

The rocketing prices of farming materials have offset the government's efforts to increase farmers' incomes.

Some farmers have chosen to give up planting and look for a job in the city.

The National Development and Reform Commission should do something and do it quickly to maintain an orderly farming materials market.

In a market economy, solving the problems of rural areas, agriculture and farmers are more complicated than in a planned economy. The government should do everything it possibly can to protect farmers' interests. Besides preferential policies, other supportive actions are also needed to ensure policies reach expectations.