(Yicai Global) April 13 -- The local government of Wuhan, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, is offering CNY1 billion (USD142 million) to help its leading agricultural firms get back to work.

Some 277 of the city’s farming companies have already resumed routine production, Li Qiang, a member of the Wuhan Party Group, said at a press briefing yesterday. 80 seeding firms have begun planting their spring crops and 991 agricultural material shops have re-opened to facilitate their needs, he added.

Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, is a major rice-growing area in China and the country is coming up to a critical planting time. Wuhan has already planted nearly 1 billion square meters of crops for the spring, Li said.

Each district of Wuhan will be entitled to CNY46 million (USD6.5 million) in bailout money from the Wuhan Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, Tan Benzhong, director of the bureau, added at the briefing. His organization has recommended 439 micro, small and medium-sized companies for the cash and will do its best to make sure they get it, he said.

Local agricultural administrations will also send machinery experts to the companies to provide technical guidance on efficient spring farming and encourage mechanized production to reduce staffing requirements.

The city, which has stepped up in data collection regarding Covid-19 to better understand the virus’s impact on rural areas, has also put together policies to help companies in farming, aquaculture and animal husbandry in lesser infected villages get back to work and to re-ignite tourism to the area.

Editor: James Boynton