Research on domestic support of agriculture in China
Editor's note: in recent years, with the rapid development of China's economy and the enhancement of comprehensive national strength, the level of domestic support for agriculture has been continuously improved, which has aroused foreign attention, heated discussion and even questioning. How to objectively evaluate China's agricultural support policy and grasp the essence of China's agricultural support policy is not only vital to the healthy development of China's agriculture, but also of great significance to global food security. To this end, the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), a well-known international research institution, have conducted cooperative research on China's agricultural support. [1] the research report systematically combs the situation of China's agricultural support policies, analyzes the essential characteristics, and puts forward the choice direction of China's agricultural support policies. Now the Chinese and English versions of the research report have been published ( http://ictsd.org/ I /publications/162727/). The main points of the report are summarized below.
1. the Essential Characteristics of China's Agriculture and Rural Economy
the essential characteristics of China's agriculture and rural economy are the most important factors considered in the introduction of China's agricultural and rural policies, and are also the key to accurately understand and grasp the essence of China's agricultural support policies. The dual structure of China's economy is characterized by a large gap between urban and rural areas. China is a large developing agricultural country with a large population base, a serious shortage of agricultural resources per capita, a small scale of agricultural operations, low farmers' income, a considerable number of farmers below the poverty line, and a large proportion of agricultural products are produced and consumed by themselves. These basic facts determine that China's agriculture is a livelihood agriculture, which plays an irreplaceable role in ensuring food security and farmers' livelihood security and promoting rural development. China's agriculture has remarkable multi-functional characteristics in replacing social security, eliminating poverty, playing an economic buffer role, protecting the ecological environment and inheriting culture. China's agriculture has the following three essential characteristics.
The main body of Chinese agriculture in (I) is the livelihood agriculture
first of all, China's agriculture is based on small-scale family farms. This is related to China's dual structure and the inability of labor, as an important factor of production, to move freely between countries. China's per capita arable land resources are less than 40% of the world average, and per capita water resources account for 1/4 of the world average; per capita grassland resources are 32% of the world average. China's agriculture is dominated by family management, and the number of farmers is huge, and the number of 2009 farmers reaches 0.183 billion. The scale of operation of farmers is small, and the scale of agricultural land per household is only 0.66 hectares, which is equivalent to 1/3 of that of South Korea and Japan, 1/40 of that of the European Union and 1/400 of that of the United States. Even in Heilongjiang Province, which has the most abundant cultivated land resources, the average cultivated land area of rural households is only 3.04 hectares, and the average cultivated land area of 13 major grain producing provinces is only 0.73 hectares.
Secondly, agriculture is an important source of income for Chinese farmers and their livelihood. Agriculture is an important source of income and livelihood for the 0.67 billion rural population (according to China's statistics, those who live in cities for more than half a year are urban population). In 2010, among farmers' income, family business income (mainly agricultural business income) accounted for 61% of farmers' total income and 48% of farmers' net income. The income of farmers in the main grain-producing areas is more dependent on agriculture.
Third, the income level of Chinese farmers is low, and a considerable number of people live below the poverty line. In 2010, the per capita annual net income of Chinese farmers was 5919 yuan, less than one-third of the disposable income of Chinese urban residents. The majority of farmers in China are subsistence farmers, and a significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line. According to China's current poverty standard per capita net income of 2300 yuan, there are still 0.128 billion poor people in China, most of whom live in rural areas and belong to the agricultural population.
(II) China's agriculture is food security as the core of agriculture
ensuring the food security of the 1.3 billion population has always been the most arduous task and the most fundamental goal facing China's agriculture. This determines that China's agriculture cannot be commercial agriculture, and it is impossible to pursue commercial interests through trade as the goal of agricultural development. Ensuring food security is a worldwide problem. The food crisis in recent years has warned us that the basis of food security is the improvement of food production capacity, especially in countries with large population, low income and backward infrastructure. It is very important to develop food production. In 2011, the global output of the three major cereals was 2.06 billion tons, and the global import trade volume was 0.27 billion tons, accounting for about 13% of the total output. This means that more than 85% of the global food security and food supply problems are solved by domestic food production, and trade only affects less than 15% of the food security and food supply problems. Therefore, the role of trade in food security cannot be overstated at any time.
China is the most populous country in the world. At present, the total annual grain consumption is about 0.515 billion tons, accounting for 25% of the world. If China's imports reach 10% of domestic consumption, it is equivalent to 20% of the world's three major grain imports. In particular, China's important ration variety rice, the global annual trade volume is only 35 million tons, less than 20% of domestic consumption. Therefore, China's food security must be based on domestic production and achieve basic self-sufficiency, and it is impossible to rely on the international market to a large extent. Considering the existence of a large number of low-income people, limited purchasing power, weak domestic infrastructure and limited transportation capacity, considering the economic and physical availability of food, it is unrealistic to rely heavily on the international market to meet China's food consumption demand and ensure food security.
The solution of China's food security is a great contribution to world food security. This is also the judgment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Therefore, based on domestic production to achieve basic self-sufficiency in food is not only a realistic choice determined by China's national conditions, but also a policy choice that a responsible country should have.
(III) the characteristics of China's dual economic structure are significant, agriculture undertakes a large number of social and environmental functions.
The process of China's industrialization and urbanization has accelerated when industrial productivity has reached a very high level, which makes the dual structure of China's economy very significant. In recent years, the per capita net income of rural households has continued to grow, but the income gap between urban and rural residents is still very obvious, and there is a trend of continued expansion. The urban-rural income ratio has expanded from 1.85:1 in the mid-1980s to 3.23:1 in 2010. Especially in the underdeveloped areas of the central and western regions and the main grain producing areas, farmers' income is low and it is difficult to increase their income.
Although rural infrastructure and social and cultural security undertakings have developed rapidly in recent years, they are still far behind the cities, at a low level and in the initial stage. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2010, half of farmers had no cement or asphalt roads outside their homes, and 22% of farmers could not drink safe and sanitary water. In 2010, rural residents received the minimum living security income per capita in 12 yuan, and only 5% of the 0.128 billion poor received the minimum living security fee. In 2010, the participation rate of the new rural cooperative medical system was 96.3, the financing level was only 100 yuan per person per year, and the reimbursement rate was only 40%. According to the main data report of the 2010 China Urban and Rural elderly population tracking survey, the coverage rate of social old-age security in China reached 84.7 in cities and towns, with an average monthly pension of 1527 yuan, but the coverage rate in rural areas was 34.6, with an average monthly pension of 74 yuan.
Under the dual structure, the multi-functional characteristics of agriculture are remarkable, and agriculture has to bear many social, environmental and cultural functions in reality. This is at the expense of efficiency and has a very important positive externality.
First, agriculture provides unemployment relief for farmers. Under the condition that the transfer of rural labor force is restricted by many factors, including the absorption capacity of cities and industries, China's agriculture plays the role of maintaining rural surplus labor force and providing unemployment relief for the hidden unemployed in rural areas; under the condition of economic fluctuation, it plays an economic buffer role through the return of labor force. With the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2008, a large number of migrant workers returned to their hometowns to work in agriculture, and the buffer role and guarantee function of agriculture as a response to the economic crisis was highlighted. According to the agricultural labor productivity of the United States and even the European Union, China does not need a large number of rural population and rural labor force. Therefore, China's agriculture undertakes the function of solving the problem of hidden unemployment in rural areas, and the labor force employment security function of China's agriculture needs to play a role in a long time.
Second, agriculture assumes the function of substituting social security. Before the rural social security cause is not perfect and cannot reach the level of full protection, agriculture bears the function of substituting social security. Agriculture is not only an economic activity engaged in by farmers, and the land owned by farmers is not only a means of production, but also an important means of livelihood security. Specific rural employment methods and traditional lifestyles provide the most basic living security and old-age security for the rural population; diversified planting and breeding operations have become an important means to reduce the risk of natural disasters; the retention of small land use rights is an important risk guarantee for many migrant rural laborers. This is necessary at the current stage, at the expense of agricultural efficiency and efficiency.
Third, agriculture plays an increasingly important role in eliminating poverty, inheriting traditional culture and protecting the environment and ecology. Rural poverty is a very prominent problem that has plagued China's social and economic development for a long time. Agriculture is not only an important source of basic necessities for the rural poor, but also the most realistic and feasible choice for employment, income generation, poverty alleviation and development. With the development of social economy and the deepening of urbanization and industrialization, the value of Chinese agriculture in inheriting traditional culture and maintaining cultural diversity has become increasingly prominent. With the structural adjustment of returning farmland to forests and grassland ecological construction, the role of China's agriculture in protecting the ecological environment and maintaining biodiversity has gradually emerged.
Analysis of agricultural and rural support policies in 2. China
the characteristics of China's agriculture determine that China's agriculture is inseparable from farmers' livelihoods and rural development, and agricultural support policies are inseparable from policies such as food security, rural social and cultural undertakings, and rural infrastructure construction. China's fiscal expenditure for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" is collectively referred to as "fiscal support for agriculture". The "financial support for agriculture" policy covers a wide range of areas, including not only support for agricultural production and subsidies for farmers' income, but also expenditures for the development of social undertakings such as science, education, culture and health in rural areas. it also includes some expenditure on the treatment of major rivers and the construction of rural roads, forest networks, drinking water and other infrastructure. In theory, it is relatively easy to distinguish the agricultural domestic support policies defined in the WTO agricultural agreement from other "three rural" policies, but in practice it is more difficult, because under the "three rural" policy category, many policies and Projects have multiple functions, and many comprehensive expenditures are difficult to accurately apportion between different policy categories. equating the "three rural" support policy with the agricultural support policy will greatly overestimate the level of china's agricultural support.
Types, Structure and Level of China's Fiscal Policy for Agriculture in (I)
solving the "three rural" issues has always been the top priority of the Chinese government. With the rapid economic development, China's fiscal expenditures for the "three rural" continue to grow, which is important for promoting China's agricultural development and food security and increasing farmers' income. It has played a positive role in accelerating the construction of a new countryside. However, compared with China's agricultural population, farmers' income level, agricultural versatility and social contribution, as well as the need to eliminate the dual structure, China's current level of support for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" is still very low.
Before 2006, China's "three rural" fiscal expenditures included supporting rural production expenditures and operating expenses of agriculture, forestry, water and meteorology departments, capital construction expenditures, three expenditures for agricultural science and technology, rural relief fees, comprehensive agricultural development expenditures, and rural primary and secondary schools. Education expenditure and agricultural tax relief subsidies, etc. In 2006, the total fiscal expenditure for "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" was 317.3 billion yuan. Among them, agriculture, forestry and water affairs, capital construction expenditure, agricultural science and technology expenditure, rural relief fee and others were 216.14 billion yuan, 50.43 billion yuan, 2.14 billion yuan, 18.2 billion yuan and 30.39 billion yuan respectively, accounting for 68%, 16%, 1%, 6% and 10% respectively. Among them, the business expenses of relevant departments account for 68%, including policies of different natures. For example, the business expenses of the agricultural sector include rural public utilities, farmer education, China-Africa agricultural cooperation and South-South cooperation, agricultural resources and ecological conservation, and fishery Proliferation and release, etc. Agricultural infrastructure support includes rural roads and road construction.
After 2006, China's "three rural" fiscal expenditures include supporting rural production expenditures and various agricultural business expenses, four subsidies for grain and agricultural materials and agricultural machinery, and expenditures for the development of rural social undertakings. In 2010, the fiscal expenditure on "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" totaled 858 billion yuan, of which the expenditure on supporting rural production, various agricultural expenses, four subsidies and the development of rural social undertakings were 342.73 billion yuan, 122.59 billion yuan and 335.03 billion yuan respectively, accounting for 40%, 14% and 39% respectively. Support for agricultural production expenditures include rural capital construction expenditures, agricultural insurance premium subsidies, comprehensive agricultural development, financial poverty alleviation funds, soil testing and formula fertilization subsidies, grassroots animal epidemic prevention subsidies, and farmer training. All agricultural expenses include the expenses of agriculture, forestry, water conservancy and meteorological departments. Expenditures to support the development of rural social undertakings include rural education, rural culture, rural medical and health care, farmers' minimum living security subsidies, and rural relief.
From the breakdown listed in 2007-2010, a considerable part of the first category of fiscal expenditure does not belong to domestic agricultural support as defined by the WTO, the second category basically belongs to domestic agricultural support, and the third category does not belong to domestic agricultural support at all. After deducting the third category of expenditure, the first two categories of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" fiscal expenditure in 2010 was 465.3 billion yuan, and the per capita agricultural population was 680 yuan. If the first category of domestic agricultural support that does not fall under the WTO definition is deducted, the per capita financial expenditure of Chinese farmers that belongs to domestic agricultural support is less than 600 yuan.
(II) China's Agricultural Domestic Support Based on WTO Classification
in the past ten years, the biggest change in China's domestic support for agriculture is that on the basis of completely abolishing agricultural tax, agricultural specialty tax, animal husbandry tax, and slaughter tax, while strengthening general public services, it has gradually established and improved the four subsidies as the core. The policy of strengthening agriculture and benefiting farmers has successively introduced the minimum purchase price system for rice and wheat, and the temporary purchase and storage policies for corn, soybeans, rapeseed and other products, A system of agricultural support policies consistent with China's WTO commitments and WTO rules has been formed.
1. Four subsidy policies
grain direct supplement. It was implemented in 2004 and adopted the method of direct payment. Most provinces distribute the taxable land area approved during the rural tax and fee reform, which is not related to the actual grain planting area. Since 2008, the total amount of subsidies and subsidy standards are almost no longer adjusted, and the total amount of subsidies has been maintained at the level of 15.1 billion yuan. From the practical point of view, the grain direct subsidy policy belongs to the green box is not linked to the direct payment measures.
Comprehensive agricultural subsidies. The purpose is to reduce the impact of the price increase of agricultural materials on farmers, and to give farmers subsidies for the purchase of agricultural production materials such as diesel oil, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and agricultural films. In actual operation, on the basis of the approved standards, all localities have adopted the method of direct payment through bank cards. From 2006 to 2010, the comprehensive subsidy funds for agricultural materials were 12 billion yuan, 27.6 billion yuan, 71.6 billion yuan, 79.5 billion yuan and 83.5 billion yuan respectively. In a recent notification to the WTO, comprehensive agricultural subsidies are classified as non-specific product AMS support, but in fact they are increasingly evolving into unlinked income support.
Subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery. The country as a whole continues to implement a 30% subsidy ratio. The maximum subsidy for a single machine is not more than 50000 yuan, and the maximum subsidy for individual machinery can reach 120000 yuan. The subsidy method adopts price difference subsidy. When purchasing the machine, farmers can only pay the difference after deducting the subsidy amount to pick up the goods. The subsidy fund is settled by the financial department with the supplier. From 2004 to 2009, the central government allocated a total of 19.97 billion yuan in subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery, driving local investment of 7.19 billion yuan. The 2010 budget is 15.49 billion yuan. Agricultural machinery purchase subsidy is an input subsidy measure, which belongs to the non-specific product AMS support in the yellow box support.
Subsidies for improved varieties of crops. There are two payment methods: direct subsidy and differential purchase. Since 2009, rice, wheat, corn, and cotton have implemented full coverage of improved seed subsidies across the country; soybeans have implemented full coverage of improved seed subsidies in 4 provinces (regions) including Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia; rapeseed has been implemented in 10 provinces including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. Full coverage is implemented in the main producing provinces and Xinyang in Henan, Hanzhong and Ankang in Shaanxi; highland barley is fully covered in Tibetan areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, Gansu and Qinghai provinces (regions). The subsidy for improved crop varieties was 19.2 billion yuan in 2009 and 19.4 billion yuan in 2010. In the notification, the crop seed subsidy policy belongs to the specific product AMS measures supported by the yellow box. However, some experts believe that the subsidy for improved varieties is to encourage farmers to use excellent crop varieties and speed up the promotion of high-quality varieties. It has the nature of agricultural technology promotion and can be classified as a green box policy.
2. Minimum Grain Purchase Price Policy
in order to protect the interests of grain farmers, ensure the supply of grain market and ensure national food security, the state implements a minimum purchase price policy for rice and wheat. During the applicable period of the minimum purchase price (generally the harvest period), when the market price of grain is lower than the minimum purchase price, the policy implementation unit shall list the new grain sold by farmers in the relevant production area according to the minimum purchase price; when the market price is higher than the minimum purchase, it shall not start or withdraw from the minimum purchase price in time. The policy was first launched in indica rice producing areas in southern China in 2005. As of December 10, 2010, a total of 36.17 million tons had been purchased. Since 2006, wheat has been purchased at the lowest purchase price in the main producing areas for five consecutive years, with a total purchase of 174.91 million tons. The policy intervenes in the market price of agricultural products, so it is the market price support measure (MPS), which belongs to the specific product AMS policy in the yellow box support.
3. Temporary purchasing and storage policy
the temporary purchasing and storage policy began in 2008. The purpose is to avoid the serious impact of low prices on farmers' income and market stability under the current situation of large fluctuations in agricultural product prices. This policy is coordinated with reserves for food security purposes, covering six products including rice, corn, soybeans, rapeseed, sugar, and pork. Due to the high degree of market openness and large import volume of some of these products, and the limited purchasing and storage capacity relative to the output, the actual price intervention effect of the temporary purchasing and storage policy is small, which mainly plays the role of food security reserve.
Temporary storage of grain and oil products. Since 2008, China has implemented a temporary collection and storage policy for some bulk agricultural products, with the goal of ensuring the stability and effective supply of the domestic market. From 2008 to 2009, a total of 13.66 million tons of rice, 40.66 million tons of corn, 5.33 million tons of soybeans and 5.56 million tons of rapeseed were temporarily purchased and stored. The state entrusts some enterprises directly under the central government and local enterprises to purchase at a price not lower than the temporary purchase and storage price determined by the state, and the enterprises sell on their own and are responsible for their own profits and losses. The temporary purchase and storage price of grain and oil shall be determined by the state according to the market price, and the executive body shall be responsible for the purchase and sale. The central government only pays the "national grain and oil reserve interest costs and differential subsidies", so it is a public reserve measure with the nature of a green box for food security purposes.
Temporary storage of sugar. The main purpose is to ensure the stability and effective supply of the domestic sugar market. After 2005, China has repeatedly acquired white sugar through public bidding. In 2008, the temporary purchasing and storage price was 3500 yuan/ton, and the purchasing and storage quantities of the first batch and the second batch were 300000 tons and 200000 tons respectively. In 2009, the purchasing and storage price was 3300 yuan/ton, and the purchasing and storage quantities of the first batch and the second batch were 500000 tons and 300000 tons respectively. The price of sugar storage in China was the actual market price at that time, and the central government only paid the "national sugar reserve interest subsidy", which was a "public reserve for food safety" measure with green box attributes.
Temporary storage of pork. In 2008, the domestic pig prices fell sharply, which caused huge losses to the interests of pig farmers, which caused widespread social attention. Since the total reserve capacity of the central government is less than 1 million tons, it is hoped that local commercial purchasing and storage will play a greater role. The government adopts bank loans, financial discount and other ways to encourage enterprises to collect and store. The central pork reserve is formulated and issued by the government, and the commercial pork reserve is self-financing by the reserve enterprises, and the finance is responsible for the subsidy of loan interest expenses, so it belongs to the public reserve for the purpose of supply security and has the property of green box.
4. China's Agricultural Domestic Support Level Based on WTO Classification
due to the great difference in caliber, a lot of work needs to be done to accurately sort out the agricultural domestic support policies defined by the WTO agricultural agreement in the "three rural" policies. The relevant departments are processing the data of 2009 and 2010. Judging from the data that have been reported to the WTO, China's agricultural domestic support as a proportion of agricultural output value and the level of support per household are far lower than those of developed members such as the United States, Japan and Europe. Even according to the overestimated reported data, China's domestic support for agriculture accounted for 12.9 per cent of agricultural output in 2008, far lower than 40.3 per cent, 31.5 per cent and 65.5 per cent in the United States, Japan and Europe. According to the support received by each household, the total support received by Chinese farmers in 2008 was US $536, equivalent to only 0.01 per cent, 0.35 per cent and 2.77 per cent of Japan, the United States and the European Union, respectively.
In-depth analysis of China's agricultural support data, there are the following three points worthy of attention: first, the level of China's agricultural support is in line with WTO regulations and China's WTO commitments. In 2008, cotton and non-specific product support, which had the highest AMS support for specific products, accounted for 2.51 per cent and 1.49 per cent of agricultural output respectively, leaving much room for the upper limit of WTO commitments and basically not causing market distortions. Second, the total amount of green box support has increased rapidly. One of the reasons for the rapid growth of green box support is the rapid growth of natural disaster relief expenditure. Due to the large target groups in need of assistance, limited increases in aid standards will greatly increase the total expenditure. Third, the level of green box support in China is overestimated. It is mainly manifested in two aspects: first, the "other general services" under the "general services" include the administrative expenditure, personnel wages and subsidies of the agriculture, forestry, water and meteorological departments. In 2008, the "other general services" accounted for 46.8 of the "general services". This part of expenditure is not all agricultural domestic support, and all such expenditures are included in the green box, resulting in an overestimation of the level of green box support; second, the construction of agricultural infrastructure includes a lot of expenditure on rural public infrastructure, which also leads to an overestimation of the level of green box support.
Analysis on the Characteristics of Agricultural Support Policy in 3. China
the essential characteristics of China's agriculture also determine the essential characteristics of China's agricultural domestic support policies.
(I) China's Agricultural Support Is Livelihood Support
the target of China's agricultural support is the 0.67 billion subsistence agricultural population, not the commercial farmers. Many policy objectives are directed at increasing farmers' incomes and improving farmers' livelihoods. At present, the level of per capita subsidy is still very low. In 2010, the per capita financial transfer income of farmers was 453 yuan, which was only 7.7 per cent of the average annual net income of farmers that year. In addition, China's agricultural support is mainly aimed at bulk agricultural products, with the aim of ensuring food security and livelihood security. At present, China's specific product support is only for important products related to food security and farmers' livelihoods. In addition to dairy, sugar, wheat, soybean, livestock, cotton and corn, AMS, a specific product in the United States, added sunflower seeds, rapeseed oil, orchards, vineyards, nurseries and other fruits and vegetables, totaling 25 products, with a very wide range.
(II) China's agricultural support is a compensatory support
the characteristics of China's dual economic structure are remarkable, and agriculture bears a large number of social and environmental functions. This multi-functionality has positive externalities and public welfare, which is at the expense of efficiency. Therefore, at this stage, China's agricultural support policy has a compensatory nature. It is a compensation for the contribution and efficiency sacrificed by agriculture in the process of urbanization and industrialization under the dual structure and in a specific stage.
(III) China's agricultural support does not distort international trade
This is mainly manifested in two aspects: first, from the nature of the policy, China's agricultural support policies are mainly green box policy and micro-licensing policy, which have no or only slight distorting effect on trade. Second, from the actual effect, China's agricultural support policy focuses on bulk agricultural products, rather than vegetables and fruits, which China has a comparative advantage. In recent years, while increasing the production of bulk agricultural products, China has also gradually increased the import of bulk agricultural products. In 2011, China's three major grains were fully net imported. Since China's accession to the WTO, China has changed from a net exporter of agricultural products to a net importer of agricultural products. The deficit has risen from US $1.18 billion in 2005 to US $23.14 billion in 2010, an increase of 18.6 times.
One of the goals of (IV) agricultural support is to respond to international market fluctuations and ensure the stability of the domestic market.
In recent years, affected by non-traditional factors such as the development of biomass energy and speculative capital, the international agricultural product market has shown a trend of increasing price fluctuations. The development of biomass energy not only greatly increases the non-traditional, unconventional and unforeseen demand for agricultural products, but also opens up the interaction channel between the agricultural product market and the energy market, making the two closely linked. The large import and export of financial speculative capital in the two markets of agricultural products and energy has become an important stimulus for the large fluctuations in international agricultural prices. Due to the high degree of openness of China's agriculture and the large import volume of some products, the fluctuation of international agricultural products market has an increasing impact on China's agriculture. In this regard, some of China's policies, such as temporary purchasing and storage policies, are mainly to deal with international market fluctuations and ensure domestic production and market stability. Although the actual effect of these policies needs to be further evaluated, the implementation of these policies needs to be improved or adjusted or replaced, but its necessity is becoming more and more prominent.
In short, the level of domestic support for China's agriculture has improved rapidly in recent years, which has played a positive role in promoting China's agricultural development, ensuring food security and farmers' livelihood security. The essential characteristics of China's agriculture determine that China's agricultural domestic support policy has the characteristics of livelihood, compensation and non-trade distortion. Although the total amount has increased by a large margin, the per capita level is very low. Continuously strengthening and improving domestic agricultural support is not only vital to ensuring the healthy development of China's agriculture under the conditions of opening up, but also to ensuring world food security.
Date: 2013-05-14 15:30 | Author: Ni Hongxing et al. | Source: Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of Ministry of Agriculture | Responsible Editor: Zhai Tianchang