Agricultural production is the most important sector of the Chinese economy, designed to provide food for the largest population in the world. In addition, an increasing number of industry products are exported. China is a country of ancient agricultural civilization.
The most important sector of China's economy is agriculture. Leading Industry Agriculture China - crop production. The arable area is 100 million hectares. The main food crop is rice, which can be grown almost throughout China. In the southern and southeastern provinces of China, rice is harvested 2 or 3 times a year. The second most important crop in China is wheat. Spring wheat growing areas are located north and northeast of the Great Wall of China, as well as in the western regions. Winter wheat is grown in the Yellow and Yangtze river basins. Corn, millet, kaoliang, and barley are also grown. The main oilseed crop is peanuts. Among the legume crops, soybeans, peas, and beans are common. Tuberous crops include sweet potatoes (yams), white potatoes, yams, taro, and cassava. Great importance for the country it has the production of industrial crops: cotton, sugar cane, tea, sugar beets, tobacco. Vegetable and fruit growing are developed. Livestock farming in China remains the least developed sector of agriculture, but in terms of livestock, China ranks among the first in the world (40% of the world's pig population). The main branch of livestock farming is pig farming (90% of gross meat production). Other livestock sectors are less developed. The main areas for breeding sheep and goats are the north of the country, the foothills of the south and west. Sheep products supply light industry and are exported. Poultry farming, beekeeping and sericulture are developing. Shrimp, shellfish and seaweed are grown in the shallows. In terms of fish catch and seafood production, China is among the world leaders. It occupies one of the first places in the world in terms of the diversity of cultivated crops: over 50 types of field crops, more than 80 garden crops and over 60 types of horticultural crops are used. The country's agriculture is traditionally characterized by crop production, primarily grain production; the main food crops are rice, wheat, corn, millet, tubers and soybeans. Rice is the main food crop, the harvest of which China ranks first in the world. Across the vast territory of the country, rice cultivation is widespread everywhere, with the exception of high mountain areas with a harsh climate and deserts. About 33% of the grain crop area is occupied by rice, which accounts for approximately 38% of the country's total grain harvest. The main rice-growing areas are located south of the Yellow River. Over the centuries-old history of rice cultivation in China, about 10 thousand varieties of this cereal have been bred. The country's processed rice production is 125.3-134.3 million tons. Consumption - 127.42-144.0 million tons. Exports amount to 0.4-1.4 million tons, and imports amount to 0.2-2.9 million tons. Carryover reserves range from 37.8 to 46.9 million tons. In the 2012/13 season, for the first time in history, the gross corn harvest in China exceeded the harvest of raw rice and amounted to. 205.6 million tons. In terms of corn production, China ranks second in the world after the United States. On a sown area of 29.5-35.0 million hectares with a yield of 5.2-5.9 tons/ha, 152.3-205.6 million tons are produced. Exports over the past six years have steadily decreased from 0.5 to 0.05 million tons, while imports increased from 0.04 to 5.2 million tons. Domestic consumption increased from 150 to 207 million tons. Carryover stocks increased from 38.4 to 60.9 million tons. The second most important food crop is wheat. China also leads the world in its collection. On a sown area of 23.76-24.3 million hectares with a yield of 4.6-5.0 tons/ha, 109.3-121.0 million tons are produced. Exported - 0.7-2.8 million tons. Imports amount to 3.2 million tons. Consumption 106.0-125.0 million tons. Carryover stocks of wheat vary from 39.1 to 59.1 million tons.
Besides, in large quantities Sweet potatoes (yams) are grown, the tubers of which are rich in starch and sugar. In China, the cultivation of industrial crops is of great importance. As a result of the current price structure, their production is much more profitable than grain, cotton, vegetables and fruits, even though China ranks third in the world in growing cotton, for example. In addition, the cultivation of oilseeds, which serve as the main source of dietary fats, is widespread in the country. The main oilseed crops grown in China are peanuts, rapeseed and sesame.
In the last decade, livestock farming has also begun to actively develop. Chinese farmers have ensured such productivity of their industry that now each resident of this country produces 58.8 kg of meat, which is higher than the world average. China's Ministry of Agriculture says that from 2005 to 2010, the country's livestock industry provided a stable supply of eggs, milk and meat to the domestic market.
Pig farming is the most developed in China. The total pig population reaches 400 million heads. The Great Plain of China serves as the world's premier pig-producing region. Pigs here are raised primarily on private farms of peasants and serve as the main source of meat.
By 2010, China produced 78.5 million tons of meat, 27.6 million tons of eggs and 37.4 million tons of milk. Over the course of five years, these figures increased by 13.1%, 13.2% and 31%, respectively. If we talk about each inhabitant of the Middle Kingdom, then he accounts for at least 20.7 kg of eggs - these figures surpass even the data of developed countries.
In 2010 pig farms(more than 50 heads) and dairy farms (more than 20 heads) in China accounted for 66% and 47% of the total number of all agricultural enterprises. If we compare these figures with 2005, we can see that they increased by 29% and 20%, respectively.
To preserve existing pastures and expand their areas, from 2005 to 2010, the Chinese authorities allocated about 16.5 billion yuan. Over these five years, the area of pastures has increased by 1.5 times. Such achievements can safely be considered a real breakthrough in the field of preserving and expanding the natural food supply for livestock. A characteristic feature of livestock farming in China is the high proportion of draft animals and the poor development of dairy farming.
One of the main features of agriculture is the constant shortage of land (Figure 2). Of the 320 million hectares of cultivated areas, only 224 million hectares can be used. In total, the area of arable land is just over 111 million hectares, which is about 8% of the world's arable land. According to the Chinese classification, only 21% of the land fund is classified as highly productive land, characterized by favorable conditions for crop production: a long growing season, high amounts of active temperatures, and abundant precipitation. These conditions make it possible to grow two, and in the extreme south of China even three crops per year. The position of the country's territory in three climatic zones determines the complex geography of crop production.
Figure 2. Structure of agricultural land in China
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A side effect of China's active industrial development is the strengthening environmental problems. 38% of the country is susceptible to soil erosion, with the affected area increasing by 1,500 square miles each year. About half of China's forests have died over the past four decades, and the country now faces a shortage of clean water, and in most areas air pollution is recorded, which has a very negative impact on the development of agriculture.
Despite the constant shortage of land, the impressive successes achieved by the PRC in the course of economic transformations attract the attention of the whole world.
Territory - 9.6 million km 2
Population - 1 billion 222 million people (1995).
The capital is Beijing.
Geographical position, general review
The PRC is the third largest country in the world by territory and the first by population - located in central and eastern Asia. The state borders on 16 countries, 1/3 of the borders are in the CIS countries.
The economic and geographical position of the PRC is very advantageous, since being located along the Pacific coast (15 thousand km), the country has access to the sea from the most remote inland areas across the Yangtze River. The coastal location of the PRC contributes to the development of its economy and foreign economic relations.
China is one of ancient states world, which arose in the 14th century BC, has a very complex history. Due to the obvious benefits of its position, the wealth of natural and agro-climatic resources, throughout its existence China attracted the attention of various conquerors. Even in ancient times, the country protected itself with the partially preserved Great Wall of China. In the 19th century, China was a pro-colony of England. After defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 - 1895, the country was divided into spheres of influence between England, France, Germany, Japan and Russia.
In 1912, the Republic of China was formed. In 1945, after the defeat of the Japanese invaders with the help of the USSR, the People's Revolution occurred. In 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed.
Natural conditions and resources
The country lies within the fractured Chinese Precambrian Platform and younger areas. In this regard, the eastern part is mainly lowland, and the western part is elevated and mountainous.
Various mineral deposits are associated with various tectonic structures. In terms of their supply, China is one of the
leading countries of the world, stands out primarily for its reserves of coal, non-ferrous and ferrous metal ores, rare earth elements, and mining and chemical raw materials.
In terms of oil and gas reserves, China is inferior to the leading oil countries of the world, but in terms of oil production the country has reached 5th place in the world. The main oil fields are located in Northern and Northeastern China, the basins of inland China.
Among the ore deposits, the Anshan iron ore basin, located in coal-rich Northeast China, stands out. Non-ferrous metal ores are concentrated mainly in the central and southern provinces.
The PRC is located in temperate, subtropical and tropical climatic zones, with the climate in the west being sharply continental, and in the east being monsoonal, with high rainfall (in summer). Such climatic and soil differences create conditions for the development of agriculture: in the west, in the arid regions, livestock farming and irrigated agriculture are mainly developed, while in the east, on the especially fertile lands of the Great Chinese Plain, agriculture predominates.
The water resources of the PRC are very large; the eastern, more populated and highly developed part of the country is most endowed with them. River waters are widely used for irrigation. In addition, China ranks first in the world in terms of potential hydropower resources, but their use is still very small.
China's forest resources in general are quite large, concentrated mainly in the northeast (taiga coniferous forests) and the southeast (tropical and subtropical deciduous forests). They are intensively used on the farm.
China is the first country in the world in terms of population (20% of all inhabitants of the Earth), and it has probably held the palm for many centuries. In the 70s, the country began to implement a demographic policy aimed at reducing the birth rate, because after the formation of the People's Republic of China (in the 50s), due to a decrease in mortality and an increase in living standards, the population growth rate increased very quickly. This policy has borne fruit and now natural growth in China is even below the world average.
China is a young country (1/3 of the population is under 15 years of age). The intensity of migration differs work force both within the country and abroad.
The PRC is a multinational country (there are 56 nationalities), but with a sharp predominance of the Chinese - about 95% of the population. They live mainly in the eastern part of the country; in the west (most of the territory) live representatives of other nationalities (Gzhuans, Hui, Uighurs, Tibetans, Mongols, Koreans, Manjurs, etc.).
Despite the fact that the PRC is a socialist country, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are practiced here (in general, the population is not very religious). The country is home to the world center of Buddhism - Tibet, occupied by China in 1951.
Urbanization is developing rapidly in China.
Farm
The PRC is an industrial-agrarian socialist country developing in Lately at a very fast pace.
Economic modernization is progressing at different rates in different regions of China. Special economic zones (SEZs) have been created in Eastern China to take advantage of their advantageous coastal location. This strip occupies 1/4 of the country's territory, 1/3 of the population lives here and 2/3 of the GNP is produced. The average income per inhabitant is 4 times higher than in the more backward inland provinces. The territorial structure of the country's economy is represented mainly by established large industrial hubs; agriculture plays a major role, in which the majority of the economically active population (EAP) is employed.
In terms of GDP, China has reached fourth place in the world, although in terms of GNP per capita it has not yet reached the world average.
Energy. China occupies one of the leading places in the world in energy production and electricity generation. China's energy sector is coal (its share in the fuel balance is 75%), oil and gas (mostly artificial) are also used. Most of electricity is produced at thermal power plants (3/4), mainly operating at o-g coal. Hydroelectric power stations account for 1/4 of the electricity produced. There are two nuclear power plants, 10 primitive stations, and a geothermal station has been built in Lhasa.
Ferrous metallurgy is based on its own iron ore, coking coal and alloying metals. China ranks first in the world in iron ore mining, and second in steel production. The technical level of the industry is low. Nai higher value They have the largest factories in the country in Anshan, Shanghai, Broshen, as well as in Beijing, Wuhan, Taiyuan, Chongqing.
Non-ferrous metallurgy. The country has large reserves of raw materials (1/2 of the produced tin, antimony, and mercury are exported), but aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc are imported. In the north, south and west of China there are mining and processing plants, and in the east there are the final stages of production. The main centers of non-ferrous metallurgy are located in the provinces of Liaoning, Yunnan, Hunan, and Gansu.
Mechanical engineering and metalworking occupy 35% of the industry structure. The production of equipment for the textile industry remains high, and electronics, electrical engineering, and the automotive industry are rapidly developing. Structure manufacturing enterprises is diverse: along with high-tech modern enterprises, handicraft factories are widespread.
The leading sub-sectors are heavy engineering, machine tool building, and transport engineering. The automotive industry (6-7th place in the world), electronics and instrument making are developing rapidly. As before, the country has developed production for the traditional textile and clothing sub-sectors.
The predominant part of China's engineering products is produced by the coastal zone (over 60%), and mainly in major cities(main centers are Shanghai, Shenyang, Dalian, Beijing, etc.).
Chemical industry. Relies on coke and petrochemical products, mining chemicals and plant raw materials. There are two groups of production: mineral fertilizers, household chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Light industry is a traditional and one of the main industries, using its own, mainly natural (2/3) raw materials. The leading sub-sector is textile, providing the country with a leading position in the production and export of fabrics (cotton, silk and others). The sewing, knitting, leather and footwear sub-sectors are also developed.
Food industry- for a country with such large population is extremely important, the leaders are the processing of grain and oilseeds, the production and processing of pork (2/3 of the volume of the meat industry), tea, tobacco and other food products is developed.
Agriculture - provides food to the population, supplies raw materials for the food and light industries. The leading sub-sector of agriculture is crop production (rice is the basis of the Chinese diet). Wheat, corn, millet, sorghum, barley, peanuts, potatoes, yams, taro, and cassava are also grown; industrial crops - cotton, sugar cane, tea, sugar beets, tobacco, and other vegetables. Livestock farming remains the least developed sector of agriculture. The basis of livestock farming is pig breeding. Vegetable growing, poultry farming, beekeeping, and sericulture are also developed. Fisheries play a significant role.
Transport provides mainly communication between seaports and inland areas. 3/4 of all cargo transportation is provided by rail transport. Along with the recently increased importance of sea, road and aviation, the use of traditional modes of transport remains: horse-drawn, pack, transport carts, bicycle and especially river.
Internal differences. In the early 1980s, in order to improve planning, China created three economic zones: Eastern, Central and Western. The eastern region is the most developed, with the largest industrial centers and agricultural areas located here. The center is dominated by the production of fuel and energy, chemical products, raw materials and semi-finished products. The western zone is the least developed; livestock farming and mineral processing are mainly developed.
Foreign economic relations
Foreign economic relations have been developing especially widely since the 80-90s, which is associated with the formation of an open economy in the country. The volume of foreign trade is 30% of China's GDP. The leading place in exports is occupied by labor-intensive products (clothing, toys, shoes, sporting goods, machinery and equipment). Imports are dominated by mechanical engineering products and vehicles.
In 1949, agriculture accounted for about 70% of China's social production and national income. Over the years of post-revolutionary development, the relative importance of agriculture has decreased, but its position as a basic sector of the economy has been preserved; it remains the main supplier of raw materials for light industry (70%). The number of people employed in rural areas is 313 million people, and with family members there are about 850 million people, which is 6 times more than in Russia, Japan, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Mexico combined.
In terms of the scale of production, Chinese agriculture is one of the largest in the world. One of the main features of agriculture is the constant shortage of land. Of the 320 million hectares of cultivated area, only 224 million hectares can be used, while the area of arable land is about 110 million hectares, which is about 7% of the world's arable land. According to the Chinese classification, only 21% of the land fund is highly productive. These are primarily the plains of Northeast China, the middle and lower Yangtze River basin, the Pearl River Delta and the Sichuan Basin. These areas are characterized by favorable conditions for crop production: a long growing season, high amounts of active temperatures, and plenty of precipitation, which makes it possible to grow two, and in the extreme south of China even three crops per year. The country's agriculture is traditionally characterized by crop production, primarily grain, grain makes up 3% of the country's diet, and the main food crops are rice, wheat, corn, kaoliang, millet, tubers and soybeans. About 20% of the cultivated area is occupied by rice, which accounts for approximately half of the country's total grain harvest. The main rice-growing areas are located south of the Yellow River. Over the centuries-old history of rice cultivation in China, about 10 thousand varieties have been bred. Wheat, the second most important grain crop in the country, began to spread from the 6th-7th centuries. To date, no country in the world has such high wheat harvests as in China; in addition, sweet potatoes (yams), the tubers of which are rich in starch and sugar, are grown in large quantities.
In China, the cultivation of industrial crops is important. As a result of the current price structure, their production is much more profitable than grain, cotton, vegetables and fruits, even though China ranks third in the world in growing cotton, for example. In addition, the cultivation of oilseeds, which serve as the main source of dietary fats, is widespread. The main ones are peanuts, rabbees and sesame (grown in Shandong province).
China also occupies not the last place in the cultivation of tea, which is used as medicine from the 4th century AD, and from the 6th century it becomes a common drink. Until now, most varieties of green and black tea are almost exclusively exported. Tea is grown in the provinces of Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, and Fzui.
High population density and intensive use of the land fund are reflected, first of all, in the development of livestock farming, the role of which is generally insignificant. China has historically developed two types of livestock farming. One is closely connected with agriculture and is of an auxiliary nature; In the agricultural lowland areas, mainly pigs, draft animals and poultry are bred. Western regions are characterized by extensive, nomadic or semi-nomadic cattle breeding. Production and consumption of livestock products, especially per capita, are low. The most developed pig breeding, known in China even before our era, accounts for about 90% of all meat produced. A characteristic feature of livestock farming in China is the high proportion of draft animals and the poor development of dairy farming.
China is the world's largest producer of many types of agricultural products. Recent years have been very favorable for the development of agriculture and the entire rural economy. In general, the success of the industry was ensured mainly by the high grain harvest (435 million tons of grain in 1995 - the highest level of production in history). In addition, the harvest of cotton and oilseeds has increased. Great efforts are being made to develop agriculture and accelerate the creation of forest exploration bases. Livestock farming is also developing steadily, although pig farming continues to be the main industry. Currently, China ranks second in the world in meat production.
At the beginning of 1995, at the All-China Conference on the problems of work in the countryside, seven main directions in the field of agriculture were identified: stabilization and improvement of the main directions of economic policy in villages, a comprehensive increase in investment in agriculture, full use agricultural resources, development of agriculture with an emphasis on agricultural technology, reform of the structure of product circulation in agriculture, continued streamlining of the structure of agriculture, production and consumption, strengthening the macro-economics of agricultural regulation.
The reform is based on the preservation of the main directions of agricultural policy with the introduction of family order systems, with the existence of various forms of ownership and management, as well as the organization of small rural enterprises. 1995 was the first year of implementation of the task of bringing the agro-industrial complex to the first place in economic work. Increased attention to the agro-industrial complex involves, first of all, an increase in investment in the industry. In addition, in many provinces the practice of mandatory participation of peasants in irrigation construction and other types of agricultural work is being resumed. Many years of focused efforts to introduce high-yielding varieties of wheat and cotton have yielded the first results.
Successes in economic development contributed to the stabilization of the economic situation, the reduction of contradictions between public demand and supply, the saturation of the market with agricultural products and the reduction of prices.
At present, the basis of the agricultural sector in China is still agriculture, and ranks first in the world in the collection of rice, one of the first in the production of wheat and cotton.
The agro-industrial complex in a large area of the country depends on artificial irrigation - one of the decisive measures to increase productivity; the bulk of irrigated land is located in the so-called rice zone, located in the South and Southeast of China south of 32 degrees north latitude. Taking into account the characteristics of natural conditions and the growing season of crops, irrigation and harvesting in China can be divided into the following agricultural zones: a zone for collecting one crop per year (or a zone for spring wheat and other spring crops), located north of the Great Wall of China, a zone for collecting two harvests per year, covering areas along the Yellow River, the southern territories of the Cenlin Mountains and the northern ones of the Dayuiling Mountains, Jiulianshan Mountains, the harvesting zone of three harvests per year (winter wheat zone), located to the West of the Liunyanshan and Huatzzem Mountains and the ripening zone of three harvests per year , occupying the Pearl River and Minjiang River basin in Guangdong Province and the coastal areas of Futjian Province.
The Chinese economy is developing at a rate significantly higher than the growth rate of the world's leading economies.
According to Quote.rbc.ru estimates, the structure of China's GDP, calculated by expenditure, is dominated by investment and domestic consumption. Thus, investments of private companies in 2009 accounted for 42.6% of the country's GDP, and household consumption - 41.32% of GDP.
Thus, on the one hand, the basis for the growth of China’s economy is the increase in the country’s population (+0.665% in 2009) and the increase in its standard of living, including through migration from the countryside to the city (the average annual increase in the urban population since 2005 is amounted to 2.7%). On the other hand, the share of investment in the structure of GDP is quite large (third in the world), and this indicates a high rate of domestic savings. In other words, the Chinese government is pursuing a targeted policy of redistributing economic income towards future rather than current consumption, which is reflected in large-scale national investment projects.
Such growth, according to a number of experts, is fraught with threats not only internal, but also external - for the world economy, since China’s integration into the global economy is quite high (the share of the sum of exports and imports in the country’s GDP in 2009 was 24%), and The share of China's economy in global GDP is constantly increasing.
Thus, according to experts, there are several “bubbles” in the Chinese economy and financial market, each of which carries the risk of destabilization and loss of a rather fragile balance in the political structure of the state, which requires GDP growth of 8% per year to maintain stability and status quo . This is exactly how much is required to absorb migrants arriving from China's interior regions without creating social tension.
Firstly, as the expert notes, the exchange rate of the national currency of the People's Republic of China to the dollar is very low, not reflecting China's trading conditions.
Secondly, a negative factor is the excess money supply caused by huge economic stimulus programs and the need to print yuan to maintain the undervaluation of the national currency against the currencies of its main trading partners.
Third, the problem is excess lending, especially in the housing and infrastructure construction sector.
Fourthly, the expert notes that the increase in real estate prices in China is again beginning to approach 10% per year, which is several times higher than inflation in the country.
Fifthly, the problem for China is the mass infatuation of the population with the stock market.
Finally, the problem lies in the imbalance of purchases and final consumption of raw materials in China. On financial markets It has long been believed that it is Chinese demand for commodities that is the basis for constant growth prices for them. However, purchases of raw materials by Chinese companies often act as a speculative game for growth, like transactions of American speculators on the futures market. This is due to the fact that significant restrictions on financial balance sheet transactions (difficulty in exporting capital abroad) force the Chinese to invest in raw materials under the guise of business purchases. Moreover, the huge increase in the car fleet in China (the country became the largest car market in the world in 2009) is not accompanied by any similar increase in gasoline consumption, but this was one of the main factors in rising oil prices.
However, China is not capable of pulling out world economy out of crisis. The consumption of the country's population is about $1 trillion, and that of Americans is $10 trillion. Hopes are pinned on a wider range of developing economies. According to analysts, the basis for China's growth was the implementation of a large-scale program to support the economy. The program includes the construction and development of infrastructure projects (bridges, roads, etc.), and in the metallurgical sector - the modernization of old production facilities and the construction of new, modern metallurgical plants. To implement this program, China significantly increased its steel production - in 2009. the growth was 13.5%. To develop and stabilize the economy, a policy of reform and opening up was adopted.
Reforms began in 1978 at the initiative of the pragmatist wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Deng Xiaoping, and continue to this day. Reformers set themselves the goal of creating enough surplus value to finance the modernization of the Chinese economy, which was on the brink of disaster after the failure of Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward and command methods. The initial goal of the reforms was to solve the problem of motivating workers and peasants and eliminating economic imbalances characteristic of command economies.
Based on this chapter, we concluded that the Chinese economy as a whole has many problems, but the Chinese government, with its smart, calculated policies, is successfully coping with them and this can be seen in the further growth and stability during the crisis period, as economic indicators remain at a more stable level than in European countries and the USA.
