Agriculture of China

Agriculture is the cornerstone of China's national economy because about 80 percent of China's 1.2 billion people live in the countryside. To feed the vast population, to raise the living standards, of the rural people, and to develop the whole country's economy, China has given top priority to agriculture in its economic expansion.

It was from the rural areas that China's reform began. The contract household responsibility system was pioneered by the Chinese farmers decide what to replace the people's commune system. Today, farmers decide what to produce and how and where to sell reform of the grain purchase and sales system, and a floating pricing system for acquatic products and sales system, and a floating pricing system for acquatic products, fruits and many other farm products was introduced. Some 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the country have decontrolled the purchase and municipalities in the country have decontrolled the purchase and sales prices for grain. The mandatory plan for agriculture and the provincial-level allocation plan have been abolished nationwide.

Positive trends have appeared in China's agricultural development. Despite a continued reduction in the nation's cultivated land, the total grain output of 1993 hit 456.4 billion kg. and that of oil-bearing crops rose to 17.61 million tons. Meat production rose by 5.5% and acquatic production by 11.8% in 1993 over 1992. With constant growth in total output, agricultural production has become more adaptable to the changing demands of consumers and, instead of pursuing a mere growth in output, efforts are directed towards seeking higher unit yield and greater variety.

The past 17 years have seen a boom in the township and village industry in China. Millions of farmers, especially those in the coastal areas, devoting a small amount of their time to working in the fields. That is known, in the jargon of the farmers "quitting the land not the home village "And that is the single most important reason why many farmers have embarked on the road to prosperity . What is more? some of the have been so successful that the have been granted import and export rights by the government. No wonder the per-capita income for most farmers rose to 921 yuan in 1993 from 133.6 yuan in 1978.

While china's rural reform has been hailed as a success story the government has never slackened its effort to expand agriculture. That is largely because china has a very large rural population and because the basic foundation of agriculture is still rather weak . Natural disasters hit the country continuously; hardly a year passes without seeing some areas visited by floods, droughts, earthquakes or forest fires. Investment is never adequate . And as the coastal areas make strides in economic growth , some inland provinces and autonomous regions, especially the mountainous, difficult to reach western regions, are found to be lagging increasingly behind, a phenomenon which is known as the "gap between the east and the west".

Fortunately the government is keenly aware of the problems China faces in rural development. Vigorous steps are being taken to develop agriculture to meet the challenge of modernization and urbanization, to bridge the "gap between the east and the west", and to enable the farmers to embark on a road of common prosperity. One step is to increase investment in agriculture. Another is to promote scientific farming. A third is to encourage the "east" to help to 'west".