The government should be determined to increase financial
support to help improve the plight of China's 750 million
farmers.
This was a suggestion among a package of policy measures raised
by Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Office of Central Financial
Work Leading Group, to speed up the reform and development of
China's massive rural regions.
"We should not only pay lip service to the idea. We need
action," Chen said, with the expectation that his suggestions will
be written into the draft of China's 11th Five-Year (2006-10)
Economic and Social Development Plan.
He said China's highest leadership has already expressed
political commitment when it stressed recently "the country has
entered into the era in which industry should help promote
development of agriculture and the cities should help development
of rural regions."
Since the founding of New China in 1949, China has stepped up
favorable measures to develop cities and industry, but attached
less importance to farmers and rural regions.
"Currently the financial support given to China's rural regions
is far from enough," Chen said, adding that nearly 94 percent of
investment from government coffers at various levels is poured into
cities. "Given the big population in the rural regions, it's
incredible."
Chen also suggested more investment be earmarked for
infrastructure construction, education, medical facilities, and
social security networks in the rural regions.
Joachim von Braun, director-general of Washington-based
International Food Policy Research Institute, applauded Chen's
package suggestion, saying "it's timely as the country is drawing
up its blueprint for the coming years."
He also said inequality between farmers and urban residents is
the biggest problem China faces. "It should be addressed by
combined methods."
Braun said that investment in infrastructure such as irrigation
systems is important, and that building up the ability of poor
farmers to adapt to the market economy is essential.
He said the government should also help farmers use modern
science and technology to meet the challenges of an increasingly
commercialized and globalized agricultural sector.
"We need science and technology to improve productivity in an
environmentally-friendly way," Braun added.
He also suggested that the government invest more to make higher
education accessible to rural children.
"Education can lift them out of poverty. The government should
go beyond just emphasizing primary and secondary education in the
rural regions," Braun said.
Commenting on the some of the hardships that China's rural
population suffers, Chen raised the example of grain production.
The nation's grain production this year is expected to reach 475
million tons, up from 469.5 million tons in 2004. There has been a
continuous rise in production since 2003, when China's grain output
hit 430 million tons, a 14-year low.
"Weather permitting, China is heading for another bumper year,
but farmers have been feeling less happy," Chen said. "The country
is still being challenged by a grave situation in rural
regions."
Chen said there is little chance of a grain price rise, and
coupled with a rapid increase of production material costs,
uncertainty in weather and frequent natural disasters, this has not
been a happy year for many Chinese farmers.
(China Daily September 26, 2005)