Chapter 3 3. The food problem is the biggest problem in China

The problem of food is the core issue of maintaining world peace and human development, and for China, which has a large population and relatively insufficient resources, it is even more crucial and the first major problem. Looking at the history of China, we can clearly see that the Chinese nation is a nation that has suffered from hunger.In the long history, due to social turmoil, frequent wars, and natural and man-made disasters, the vast majority of Chinese people have not enough to eat and struggled with hunger for a long time.Food shortage is a problem that all feudal dynasties have never solved.

Today's Chinese people don't seem to be as concerned about their own food as our fathers, and this is indeed a problem that every Chinese needs to be seriously concerned about.Over the past 40 years since liberation, the Chinese government led by the Communist Party has created miracles that have attracted worldwide attention, accounting for 7% of the world's arable land and feeding 22% of the world's population. The stage of eating well has gradually changed from full to full. However, we can not sit back and relax.The instability of China's grain production and consumption, as well as the imbalance between grain production and population development, still face us grimly.

——Because we are a big country with a population of more than 1.2 billion! What is the concept of 1.2 billion? 1.2 billion people stand on the equator and can circle the earth more than 50 times; 1.2 billion people open their mouths and swallow 780,000 tons of grain every day. The pile is a towering grain mountain, which is equivalent to a grain base county of nearly 1 million mu The total grain output of grain fields in a year; 4.7 tons of pork are eaten every day, and 1 million pigs need to be slaughtered; 36,000 tons of wine are drunk every day, which is equivalent to 1.5 waters of West Lake in Hangzhou... If these things are used to liberate Brand trucks will cost more than 200,000.One car after another can be lined up from Beijing to Nanjing.

For a developing country, our burden is too heavy!A mountain of grain is eaten in a day, and this does not include the grain consumed by the pork and wine consumed every day. Both the Chinese government and every Chinese should feel the pressure of the food problem. More than 40 years ago, U.S. Secretary of State Acheson believed that "a big reason for the failure of the Kuomintang government on the mainland was that it did not give China enough to eat."This is certainly biased, but we can see the seriousness of the food problem from the middle foot. The foreigner also confidently asserted: "Until now, no Chinese government has solved this problem, and the Chinese Communist Party cannot solve its own food problem."

The facts of history make Acheson's prophecy bankrupt.From the date of its birth, the Communist Party of China has put the problem of food and clothing of the Chinese people first. After decades of hard work, China has finally shaken off the shadow of hunger. Except for more than 40 million poor people, the vast majority of Chinese people Most people not only solve the problem of eating, but also gradually transform into the stage of eating well.UN population experts called this feat of the world's most populous country a "miracle of miracles" and regarded it as an "inconceivable" "Chinese phenomenon".

Although the vast majority of Chinese people don't have to worry about being hungry, we can't help but care about China's food.The slump in grain production and sharp rise in food prices that began in 1993 has sounded the alarm for a populous country like us that has just emerged from the shadow of hunger. In 1993, my country's total grain output was 456.44 million tons, an increase of only 3.1% over the previous year, but our population increased by 13.46 million, and the increase in grain could not keep up with the demand for population growth. In 1994, my country's total grain output was 444.5 million tons, which was 12 million tons less than in 1993. After 1995, my country's grain output gradually bottomed out and moved forward. In 1995, it was 466.62 million tons. In 1996, it broke through the 500 million tons mark for the first time, reaching 504.5 million tons. The per capita grain consumption also reached 402 kilograms for the first time, standing on the "well-off line" of 400 kilograms. In 1997, the total grain output was 492.5 million tons, and the per capita share of grain was 398 kg. In 1998, the total grain production capacity was expected to reach 495 million tons. Even so, the per capita grain possession was still below 400 kilograms, far below the world average of 500 kilograms. It was comparable to the US per capita grain possession of 1,329 kilograms, Canada's 1,717 kilograms, and Australia's 1,838 kilograms. Compared with kilograms, it is even farther apart.Although we now have rice to buy when we go out and have enough to eat, we don’t feel any sign of food shortage, but from the perspective of the country as a whole, from the contradiction between the rapid growth of population and the decrease of cultivated land year by year, the problem of food is still a problem. China's number one problem!

The problem of food is not only a problem of food production, it also includes food consumption and food circulation.Some people think that as long as there is food production, there will be food consumption naturally, which is obviously naive.In fact, there is still a gap between sufficient grain production and reasonable grain consumption, and there is only one way to connect the two, which is the circulation of grain.A comprehensive examination of China's grain problems reveals that the biggest crisis lies not only in the difficulties in grain production and the sharp increase in grain consumption, but more importantly, in the obstacles to grain circulation.It is precisely this aspect that has been neglected by us.

In a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy, people can grow food for food and cotton for clothing, but in today's highly civilized society, without the exchange and circulation of commodities, the world would not be a world.Among the commodities in circulation, grain is the most important and special kind of commodity.Because it is not only directly related to people's survival, but also affects the stability and security of the country.Therefore, even the capitalist countries with relatively developed western market economies such as the United States and the United Kingdom keep food firmly in the hands of the government and manage food as a strategic material.

As a country with a population of more than 1.2 billion, there is no perfect and sound grain circulation system, which will not only directly affect our grain consumption, but more importantly, will restrict our country's grain production. The food crisis in 1994 was the best lesson. Focusing on production with one hand and distribution with the other, this is the key to solving the food problem in China! On March 19, 1998, Zhu Rongji, the newly elected Premier of the State Council, launched a policy program of "one guarantee, three in place, and five reforms" at a press conference.The first of the five reforms is the reform of the grain distribution system.He pointed out: "Because of the huge grain inventory, the government's financial subsidies have also increased accordingly. We must reform the grain purchase and sales system to address this issue." At the end of April, the first meeting held after the new government was formed was the national grain circulation The system reform conference opened the curtain of the reform of the grain distribution system. In May, Zhu Rongji personally went to Anhui and Jilin to inspect the reform of the grain distribution system. In November, Premier Zhu Rongji once again presided over the symposium on the reform of the national grain circulation system.It is still rare in China to hold two consecutive national conferences on a certain task within one year.Zhu Rongji almost earnestly repeated this point of view to the Chinese: "Food is an important strategic material related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. No country in the world has completely liberalized it. my country has a population of more than 1.2 billion and more than 900 million farmers. The stability of food and circulation is very important. If the "three liberalizations" of grain purchase, price, and market are implemented, when there is a lot of grain, various enterprises and private grain traders will not actively enter the market to purchase, or buy farmers' grain at low prices. It will cause the price of food to fall in the market, seriously damage the interests of farmers, and further affect the development of agriculture and food production. This led to skyrocketing food prices, making it unbearable for urban residents and causing social instability. We have experienced both of these situations, and we have paid a heavy price. Today, cadres at all levels must not heal their scars and forget the pain. Always maintain a clear understanding." For this reason, Zhu Rongji said firmly: "The grain distribution system must be changed, and no change is necessary. There is no delay."

However, there are still quite a few people who do not clearly understand the difficulties in China's grain production and the significance of reforming the grain circulation system.In their minds, the streets and alleys are full of grain stores, large and small grain stores are full of grain, you can choose from a variety of exquisite food in the store, and taste all kinds of delicious delicacies in the restaurant. Why worry about a mere problem of eating? Forget about being hungry when you are full, and that is precisely the crisis. If you read this book patiently, and look at my country's grain production, consumption, and circulation from a series of boring but convincing figures, you may also feel the difficulty of China's food problem. Therefore, they are as concerned about China's grain distribution system reform as they are about China's housing reform and institutional reform.We must know that the problem of food is always the most important problem of human survival.

We can't help but care about our own food, and we can't help paying attention to China's grain production, consumption and distribution.Needless to say, food is a heart disease of human beings, and it is a major problem for China!