Chinese farmers dodge coronavirus and go online for spring seeds and supplies

Farmers wearing face masks harvest vegetables at a farm following an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country, in Xianju county, Zhejiang province, China February 9, 2020. Picture taken February 9, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Many Chinese farmers are shopping online for vital supplies as the spring planting season gets under way and the coronavirus outbreak disrupts traditional supply chains, providing a huge boost to business for e-commerce platforms.

Fertilizers, chemicals, seeds and machinery are traditionally distributed to China's hundreds of millions of farmers via a network of traders and local distributors.