Abstract
This paper examines the problem of grain balance and the recent trends in grain production in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), China.
The increase in grain production in XUAR was stimulated by the 1978 rural reforms. Grain production increased by a total of 3. 1 million metric tons from 1978 to 1990. In the mid-1990s, XUAR was designated as a cotton and sugar beet production district. This triggered the expansion of cultivated area of these two crops. On the other hand, it accelerated the decline in the cultivated area of grain crops. The main issue of agricultural production in this region is to balance the cultivated area of cash crops and grain crops, since arable land is limited. In order to attain the proper grain balance, the XUAR government strengthened policies on self-sufficiency of food in each county, requiring the main grain-producing counties to expand grain supply. Ghulja county is one of the major food suppliers in XUAR. The county government has been trying to increase the grain production through “five kinds of integration” (wutongyi), a collective form of land use, since 1996. Although “five kinds of integration” might contribut to securing the land used for food crops, it is likely to aggravate the problem of grain marketing. The study suggests that it is necessary to improve the combination of crops, mainly food crops, and to open up the market for agricultural products including grain by join consignment and improving marketing systems in the county.
