No matter when China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO), the trend to form a freer farm produce market is irreversible in China, which will have to adapt its agricultural polices, a senior agriculture official said Monday.
Zhang Hongyu, a senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture, made the remarks at a forum on the WTO and China, analyzing China's agricultural policies after its admission to the WTO.
The forum is part of the ongoing fourth Beijing International Hi-Tech Industries Week.
In recent years, China has adopted a policy to promote free trade of agricultural products in domestic markets. All farm produce, except grains, are allowed to be traded freely, Zhang said.
The government has decided to further lessen control on trade and prices of grains, which will help the establishment of a freer market.
Zhang said that China will, after joining the WTO, import more wheat, corn, rice, soybean, cotton and oil seeds due to their higher prices on the domestic market.
The entry will also cause two profound changes in China's agricultural product trading policies, according to Zhang.
The first is that more non-governmental enterprises will engage in the business of agricultural product circulation, especially in grain trading and distribution.
The second change is in the grain production pattern as grain output in north and central China will be used to supply the west, and part of the grain demand of southeast China will be satisfied through imports.
(Xinhua 05/15/2001)
