Chapter 107 The problem of unified purchase and marketing of grain [1]

(October 2, 1953) 1. I agree with Comrade Chen Yun's report [2], and the detailed measures will be discussed later.Whether it is a step too late to adopt measures such as unified purchase and marketing of food, we will see in the future, maybe it will not be too late.Preparations will be made from now until mid-November or the end of November, and grain collection and purchase will be carried out simultaneously from December to January next year. Therefore, the arrangement for grain collection will be delayed by one month.This is also a battle to be fought, on the one hand, against those who supply food, and on the other hand, against those who eat food. We cannot fight unprepared battles, we must make full preparations and mobilize urgently.

2. There are many discussions about rural work inside and outside the Party.Liang Shuming[3] outside the party said that the situation in the countryside is very bad, and there is also a saying within the party that the interests of farmers should be protected.Marx and Engels never said that everything is good for farmers, and farmers have a spontaneous and blind side.The basic way out for farmers is socialism, from mutual aid and cooperation to large cooperatives (not necessarily called collective farms).Now it is "lean and yellow", and some farmers have begun to forget the benefits of land distribution. They are in the transition period from individual economy to socialist collective economy.

The main body of our country's economy is the state-run economy, which has two wings, namely, two wings, one wing is state capitalism (the transformation of private capitalism), and the other wing is mutual aid and cooperation and grain procurement (the transformation of farmers). Some people want to touch the "bottom" of the countryside.There are six bottom lines in the countryside, which can answer Liang Shuming and some comrades in the Party. (1) Small peasant economy.This economy is not good, but it is a reality. (2) About 10 percent of the food-deficient households.A total of about 48 million peasants are short of food. Among them, the situation in the old areas is relatively good, while that in the new areas is more serious. It will take five years to solve the problem.

(3) 20 to 40 million disaster victims every year.There are six kinds of disasters: flood, drought, wind, insects, frost, and hail. This problem can only be solved in decades, but it can be reduced if it is done well. (4) About 10 percent of backward villages.According to the materials of the party rectification and the "New Three Antis", 80 to 90 percent of the bad cadres in these townships were recruited by dissident elements, and 10 to 20 percent were degenerated good cadres. The above four are bad aspects, and the following two are good aspects. (5) 80% to 90% of the peasants rejoiced and supported the government, and the food-deficient households and disaster victims also supported the government.Those who did not support the government included landlords and rich peasants.Our base in the countryside is 80 to 90 percent of farmers.

(6) Mutual aid and cooperation have developed.The old districts have reached 60 to 70 percent, and the new districts have 20 to 25 percent, and some of them are fake.The further development of the countryside in the future basically depends on this sixth article. This is not about the "bottom" of technology, but the "bottom" of politics.People inside and outside the Party must know what to do. The popularization and application of water conservancy, agricultural tools, fertilizers, and farming methods must now rely on mutual assistance and cooperation.The further development of socialism in the future will depend on machines (tractors).

3. The issues discussed today involve the 80 to 90 percent of the people who are happy and excited, and also the issues of households short of food. This is the issue of implementing the grain requisition system for the peasants.Who should we rely on for the implementation of grain procurement? Mainly rely on party members, who are active elements among rural cadres and peasants. There are such active elements among poor peasants, middle peasants, and food-deficient households.It is not enough to rely solely on the food-deficient households. The food-deficient households can be our allies, and they can also be the allies of the middle peasants.

Fourth, the distribution issue.The three issues of grain procurement, rectification of private businesses, and unified management are imperative.The placement issue can be considered, and my observation is imperative.Since the output of the small-scale peasant economy is not increasing much, and the demand for food in the cities is increasing year by year, it would be better if we can make sure that the cities and the countryside are not stressed at the same time, but I am afraid it will not be possible.As for the name, it can be called planned supply instead of allotment.The problems that may arise in doing so are, first, the dissatisfaction of the peasants, second, the dissatisfaction of the citizens, and third, the dissatisfaction of foreign public opinion.The problem is looking at our work.

5. Propaganda issues.The policy of unified purchase and marketing of grain should be publicized with great fanfare, but the newspapers would not publish a single word.The policy has been set, and we can not talk about it after today's meeting, because the meeting of responsible comrades from all central bureaus and major provinces and cities will not be completed until 12 days later, but relevant agencies can discuss and prepare arrangements. Published based on the transcript of the speech kept by the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

note [1] This is the conclusion made by Mao Zedong at the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. [2] Refers to the report on the food problem made by Chen Yun, Vice Premier of the Government Administration Council, at the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on October 2, 1953.The report pointed out that the current national food situation is very serious.Some major grain-producing areas failed to complete the task of purchasing grain, but grain sales continued to rise. The supply of flour in Beijing and Tianjin was no longer enough, and it was necessary to implement allotment.If resolute measures are not taken, serious chaos will inevitably occur in the grain market.The result will be price fluctuations across the board, driving up wages, affecting industrial production, unstable budgets, and affected construction plans.This is not conducive to the country and the people, but only beneficial to rich peasants and speculators.For this reason, on the issue of grain, it is necessary to carry out requisition in the countryside, distribution in the cities, strict management of private business, and adjustment of internal relations on the premise of adhering to unified management.

[3] Liang Shuming (1893-1988), a native of Guilin, Guangxi.He was a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.