Since the reform and opening-up, agricultural production has seen a rapid and comprehensive development in China. Output of major agricultural products is on the rise continuously and steadily and the agricultural production structure has experienced obvious transitions with some new characteristics.

The agricultural product supply has moved from former long-standing shortages to an equilibrium with years of abundance. As for food supply, the ratio of self-sufficiency to imports has increased from 98.1 percent in the 1980s to 99.6 percent in the '90s. As for cotton supply, output is growing steadily thanks to the sharply increasing purchasing price and expanding cultivated area in Xinjiang. Fruit and vegetable output is growing year by year, with good developments in exports. The construction infrastructure has been enhanced and the overall agricultural production capability continues to improve. A number of new food crops, oil plants and economic crops have been introduced to help effectively promote the development of agriculture.

After several years of developments between 1995 and 2000, the average annual output of food crops is 496.31 million tons, 4.31 million tons in cotton, 24.47 million tons in oil plants and 87.01 million tons in sugar plants. There is a relatively high growth in the production of fruit, vegetables, tea leaves and silkworm cocoons, as well.

In 2002 the output of grain, oil plants, cotton, sugar plants, bright tobacco, tea and fruit reached 457.11 million tons, up 1 percent; 29 million tons, up 1.2 percent; 4.92 million tons, down 7.5 percent; 101.51 million tons, up 17.3 percent; 2.13 million tons, up 3.9 percent; 0.74 million tons, up 5.7 percent and 68.09 million tons, up 2.3 percent respectively over the previous year. The planted area of grain and cotton amounted to 103.99 million hectares and 4.18 million hectares, down 2.09 million hectares and 0.63 million hectares respectively over the previous year. The planted area of oil plants, sugar plants and vegetables reached 14.87 million hectares, up 0.24; 1.8 million hectares, up 0.15 and 17.28 million hectares, up 0.88 respectively over the previous year.

Presently, China's agricultural labor productivity and added value are still too low. The reform of the circulation system and the establishment of the market economy are falling behind. Furthermore, product quality and overall agricultural benefits are not favorable, and the overall standards of agricultural technologies are relatively low. Along with the gradual amelioration of the socialist market economy and China's accession to the World Trade Organization, the country's economy will connect directly with the world economy, which will provide opportunities for the development of Chinese agriculture.Chinese agriculture will surely develop steadily and consistently in the future.

[Source: Ministry of Agriculture]

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