Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
WTO accession in a more desirable way. On the other hand, much needs
to be done to improve the information system, quality control procedures
and marketing skills of Chinese farmers and firms producing agricultural
processed products to benefit fully from the potential opportunities in the
nternatonal market.
Second, the negative effects from the possible surge of agricultural
mports must be taken serously. Partcular attenton should be gven to
the inland and western provinces and regions that will benefit little from
the WTO accession, which may result in an even larger income gap between
these economcally less developed regons and the economcally advanced
coastal provinces. To help these regions, Chinese governments at central
and provincial levels may need to take more responsibility for financing rural
educaton rather than provdng drect subsdes to agrcultural producton
actvtes. To strengthen the compettveness of Chna's agrcultural and
rural sectors, the government may need to invest more in agricultural
technology extenson and rural nfrastructure such as transportaton and
communcaton facltes.
Notes
1 It is reported that the Mexican Government promised not to be in the way of China's
WTO accession even if the bilateral agreement with Mexico was not reached later in the
year.
2 The estmated annual data on Chnese agrcultural trade n 2000 are not reported n ths
figure.
3 The figures were calculated using the data reported in Department of Planning, Ministry
of Agriculture, Husbandry and Fishery of China: 'Materials of Agricultural Economy
(1940-1983)'(pp. 434-5), internal publications.
4 The figure for export revenues in 1978 is from
China Statistical Yearbook
(2000) and that
for 2000 s from Summary of Chna Statstcs (2001).
