An expert consultation team meeting, organized by Department of Rural Science and Technology, was held in Beijing recently. The progress of the 12396 Hotline nationwide was reported at the meeting: 12396 Hotline was opened in 13 provinces over the past year. Over 5000 grassroots information service stations and nearly 10，000 village-level stations were established in rural areas. A team of over 7000 backbone members was fostered to provide services to over 200 million farmers. This helps farmers increase 30 million yuan income, and reaps sound social benefits.