China to put more emphasis on farming

Press, 16 April 1986, Page 34

China to put more emphasis on farming

NZPA-AP Peking Changes to emphasise agricultural production and the tasks of intellectuals were made in Premier Zhao Ziyang’s annual report to the National People’s Congress, the final version of which has been released. Zhao delivered the draft of the report on the country’s five-year plan for 1986-1990 at the opening session of the Congress, China’s largely ceremonial legislature. Nothing appeared to have been deleted in the final version, released by the official Xinhua news agency, but long sections dealing with agriculture and intellectuals, and brief statements on education and guaranteeing the decision-making powers of enterprises, were added. Xinhua has said the changes were made at the suggestion of Congress deputies. Deputies complained during the session that not enough emphasis had been placed on agriculture in the five-year plan.

“The continued flourishing of agriculture, the foundation of our national economy, is one of the important strategies in our modernisation programme,” the final report

said. "Therefore, we should step up grain production so that it will grow steadily.” The report said arable land has been arbitrarily used for non-agricultural purposes and some peasants had become less enthusiastic about grain production. Firm measures should be adopted to change that, the report said. While ensuring a steady increase in grain production, China should promote an allround development of crop farming, forestry, animal husbandry, aquaculture and township industries.

The report advocated pushing forward rural reforms, concentrating on improving agricultural science and technology, and encouraging many scientific and technological workers to go to the countryside to help rural residents improve the quality of agricultural production. Big financial resources should be provided to develop agriculture, the report said. China’s grain harvest 7 per cent last year, its first decline in several years. The Government attributed the decline to natural disasters, a reduction in acreage devoted to grain, and a trend among farmers to

leave grain production for more lucrative cash crops or rural industry jobs. The Government said it had enough surpluses from previous years to feed everyone. However, the decline was sensitive because previous large drops in grain production meant starvation and because the top leader, Deng Xiaping, had abandoned Mao Tse-tung’s emphasis on grain to push for a more diversified rural economy.

The report’s new section on intellectuals said the next five years would bring progress in literature, art, the press, publications, the cinema, broadcasting and television as well as museums, libraries and cultural centres.

“It is our hope that all our ideological and cultural workers will persist in serving the people and socialism, give first thought to social effect, keep close ties with the people, mingle with them, and blaze new trails,” the report said.

Intellectuals should help people “work heart and soul” for modernisation, and apply the basic theories of Marxism in exploring and solving problems that have cropped up under the reforms, it said.