"Putting people first and regarding food as the paramount necessity for the people, addressing food issues is not only a matter of livelihood but also the cornerstone of maintaining national and social stability. The No.1 Central Document of 2024 proposed to 'stabilize and improve subsidies for grain farmers, explore the establishment of a horizontal compensation mechanism between provinces in grain production and distribution areas, deepen multi-channel production and distribution cooperation, and better mobilize the enthusiasm of farmers for grain cultivation and local grain production.' Ensuring food security is the bottom line of national security." At this year's National People's Congress, Zan Linsen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and professor at Northwest A&F University, called for the prompt establishment of a comprehensive mechanism for ensuring food security and compensation of interests.
Zan suggested that considering the insufficient attractiveness of grain production despite the continuous increase in national investment and subsidies, it may be advisable to consider implementing an economic crop production adjustment tax as compensation for grain-producing areas and farmers, to be centrally managed by the state. A differential agricultural production tax collection system could be established in grain-producing areas, production and distribution balance areas, and major consumption areas to ensure the interests of grain-producing farmers. Furthermore, initiating an inter-provincial cooperation horizontal compensation mechanism for safeguarding food security could be considered. Based on the contribution of grain-producing areas to food security, the state could coordinate and collect a certain percentage of financial compensation tax from economically developed provinces and major grain consumption areas annually as financial compensation for grain-producing areas.
Zan also believes that a synergistic mechanism for food security production should be constructed between major producing and consuming areas. Encouraging provinces that are major consumers of grain to actively connect with and participate in the construction of infrastructure for grain production in major grain-producing provinces, increase investment in improving the capacity for grain production such as seed industry, conservation of cultivated land, and purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment, and support the joint construction of a community of shared destiny for ensuring food security between major producing and consuming areas to promote comprehensive development of the economic and social aspects of grain-producing regions.
Name: Zan Linsen
