Central Dossier No. 1 to Focus on Agriculture(2)

In the first two weeks of December, several important central-level meets were held-- the Central Economic Work Conference, the Executive Meeting of the State Council, and the Communist Party Central Political Bureau meeting. All of the above hit upon a common theme-- agriculture.

At the Central Economic Work Conference, which many deem as the barometer of China's economic development, the central government proposed strengthening the foundation of China's agriculture and improve livelihood in the countryside.

These would perhaps form the basis of the 2008 dossier. The core of the dossier might be an expansion of investments to improve infrastructure, especially the irrigation system, which is one critical pillar of agricultural output.

Kinks in China's agricultural output system have been identified by the Ministry of Agriculture as a contributing factor to this year's soaring prices of primary products, especially pork. As such, analysts believe that the government has been forced to look into the importance of agriculture and to reinstate the fundamental status of the industry in rural areas.

Lessons in the Past
The first Dossier No. 1 concerning agriculture and the countryside was issued in 1982. But just 4 years later, the key attention of the dossier had shifted to urban issues. Only in 2004, after 18 years of being overshadowed, did the government bring its attention back to agriculture when it issued a dossier emphasizing improving peasant income.

That same year China's food supply chain was severely challenged. It was reported that the country was short 37.5 million tons of grains, with some areas affected more than others. In response to the food crisis, over subsequent years, the government had highlighted agriculture issues in several dossiers, included granting subsidies for peasants, reforming food distribution networks , and reducing taxes on agriculture.

By the end of 2007, the output of food productions had exceeded 500 billion kilograms.