10. Since the mid-1990s, RCC Unions (RCCUs) with status as legal persons have also been established at the county level. Township level RCCs are members of the county-level RCCU, which provides clearing house facilities, plans and supports staff training for member RCCs and carries out inspections and annual audits of member RCCs. 鄉鎮級農村信用社為縣級聯社的成員，為信用社成員提供清除房屋設施，計劃和支持員工培訓，并開展對信用社成員的檢查機年度設計。 11. The use of RCCs as a credit-de livery mechanism in IFAD projects has been growing, though a number of issues have been encountered:


(a) The PMOs regarded RCCs as weak and risky in terms of the recovery of the IFAD project resources provide d to them.
(b) The PMOs were very reluctant to transfer responsibilities to RCCs, as they were afraid of losing control.
(c) The RCCs were not given the autonomy of an independent bank as they mostly served clients that were proposed to them by the PMOs, thus increasing their own risk.
(d) The aggregate of the transaction commissions and charges at the provincial, prefecture and county levels rendered IFAD funds unattractive to and expensive for the RCCs up to the end of 2001, when the Ministry of Finance decided to extend IFAD loan funds to the province level at concessional terms.


農村信用社信貸農發基金項目交付機制的使用已經越來越大，雖然也遇到了一些問題： 12. In 2000, the IFAD Office of Evaluation and Studies undertook a thematic study on rural finance that assessed both project managed credit (through PMOs and the Finance Bureaux) and RCC operations. The conclusions of the study were discussed at a meeting among the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, the PBC http://ukthesis.org/ygsslwdx/ and IFAD, at which the recommendation was adopted that RCCs would be the main channels for the disbursement of IFAD funds allocated as credit and that IFAD would support the Government in restructuring the RCCs so as to render them cost effective and sustainable instruments, thereby emphasizing their potential in poverty alleviation. 在2000年，農發基金評價和研究辦公室對農村金融進行專題研究，評估了項目管理的信貸（通過辦和財政局）和農村信用社操作。 13. Subsequently, the Rural Finance Sector Programme(RFSP) was developed by IFAD in close collaboration with the PBC, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture. The RFSP proposal was prepared during 2002 for further consideration by the Ministry of Finance and the PBC. 農村財政分部規劃處建議準備在2002年由財政部和中國人民銀行作進一步審議。 14. Two major considerations form the rationale for the RFSP: 形成農村財政分部規劃處的兩個主要考慮因素 (a) The RCCs constitute very important suppliers of financial services in rural areas and possess the most extensive network and outreach capacity through credit officers who provide services at the farmgate. Previous operations and present policies, however, have jeopardized the sustainability of the RCCs. The Government is therefore considering the development and implementation of a policy reform programme for the RCCs, and some reforms are already being tested at a pilot scale. 因此，政府正在考慮對農村信用社的政策改革方案進行制定和實施，并在試點規模測試進行一些改革。 (b) IFAD’s 2000 thematic study on rural finance confirmed the Fund’s strategy to provide loans to rural poor through the RCCs. It also recognized that policy changes were needed so that the RCCs could play an important role in future IFAD projects. 15. Within the framework of the rural finance reform process guided by the CBRC since 2003, the RFSP http://ukthesis.org/ygsslwdx/ aims to support the Government in redefining the policies of RCCs and taking into account their impact on both poverty reduction and institutional sustainability. It also aims to demonstrate the usefulness of microfinance for poverty reduction. In supporting policy reform, the RFSP will focus on lending policies that allow increased access among the rural poor to RCC lending and on institutional and operational policies that will enhance the efficiency of the cooperative banking system. Hence, it will contribute to the financial sustainability of these institutions. 在支持政策改革方面，農村財政分部規劃處將集中于貸款政策，允許增加農村貧困人口的農村信用社貸款和合作銀行系統，這將提高體制的效率和業務政策。因此，這將有助于這些機構的財務可持續性。 16. The RFSP thus follows up on the strategy to foster policy dialogue as proposed under IFAD’s country strategy document of 1999 and is in line with a strategic objective of IFAD, namely, to enable the rural poor to overcome their poverty by increasing their access to financial services and markets. The RFSP will also enhance IFAD’s catalytic impact by “helping to establish institutional and policy frameworks in support of the poor”. Moreover, it represents the realization of aspects of IFAD’s strategy for Asia and the Pacific region, which announced a shift in emphasis towards projects and programmes that have the strategic potential to influence policies. 此外，它代表農發基金亞洲和太平洋地區的戰略，宣布將重點對影響政策的戰略潛力的項目和方案方面的實現。 17. The goal of the RFSP is to render rural financial services capable of contributing effectively and in a sustainable manner to poverty reduction. The specific objectives of the RFSP are to ensure that: 農村財政分部規劃處的具體目標，以確保以下內容： (a) rural households, including the poor, have better access to financial services and effectively make use of them to improve their living standards; (b) RCC policy reforms have been successfully tested and are implemented in ongoing IFAD/WFP-funded projects, as well as in future interventions; RCC政策改革已經成功測試并實施持續農發基金/世界糧食計劃署資助的項目，以及在未來的干預; (c) improved institutional and operational management capacities in RFSP RCCs are applied on a larger scale and help enhance cost effectiveness and profitability; and RFSP農村信用社改善體制及經營管理能力應用在更大的規模，有助于提高成本效益和盈利能力; (d) modalities for the solution of the problem of non-performing loans have been tested and are applied on a wider scale. 為解決不良貸款問題的方式已經測試過，并適用于更廣泛的規模。