Should farmers' homesteads enter the market? What are the prospects for large-scale operation of rural land? With the promulgation of the No. 1 Document of the Central Committee this year, how to carry out the work of confirming the right to contract management of rural land? Chen Xiwen, then deputy head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, was interviewed by the Beijing News. He believes that many people are concerned about farmers' homesteads entering the market, not really for the sake of farmers, but want to have a second home in the countryside.
Talking about "Urbanization"
It has been suggested that homesteads are not for the benefit of farmers
You have been opposed to the peasant upstairs movement for a few years, what do you think about it now?
Chen Xiwen: It is not that I oppose or approve, but that the state has laws and handles them according to the laws. In the design of the state's system, there are very clear provisions on land use. However, whether this matter infringes on the interests of the people or not, most people should have a basic judgment. I think that there are some media that support farmers going upstairs, always reporting on how beautiful the rural construction is now, so that many people who are not in the countryside think that the peasants' lives have improved and that it is a good thing for the peasants to go upstairs. But farmers are reluctant.
There are many people who suggest that farmers' homesteads and rural construction land should be free to enter the market, what do you think?
Chen Xiwen: Many things are said well, but in fact, the meaning of drunkenness is not wine. Many people are not really thinking for the peasants, but want to go to the countryside to get a piece of land and build a house. Don't they know how much a house in Beijing is worth? How much is a house worth in a county town, and how much is a farmer selling a house worth. After the sale, you tell the peasants how to go to the city to settle down, and who gives the lack of money?
Now the central authorities have proposed to vigorously develop urbanization, and many localities have also proposed to let peasants go to the city.
Chen Xiwen: Whoever thinks that if you sell your house in your hometown and go into the city, you can become a city person, you must be fooled. Even if the rural homestead is sold for a few dollars, what if it is time to go back and not go back, and the city can't afford to buy it? Urbanization around the world is a natural process. For example, in the past, many Ningbo people and Jiangbei people went to Shanghai to work alone, and slowly had the conditions to pick up the whole family. A peasant family really moved to the city, and no three or four generations could not do it.
Talking about "land circulation"
After the registration of the right is confirmed, the peasants dare to operate on a large scale
In some places, land circulation is not very good, why is this problem occurring?
Chen Xiwen: By the end of June last year, the total area of land circulation in China was 380 million mu, accounting for about 28.8% of the total land contracted by farmers. Individual places look bad, but overall it is stable. On the other hand, grain production has been growing steadily in recent years, and peasants' incomes have always been growing steadily, so the general trend will not cause too many problems.
At present, the ongoing registration and issuance of the right to confirm the right to rural land contract management is a property right of intention, and after confirming the rights to the peasants, the peasants dare to circulate and dare to operate on a large scale.
Many places have introduced industrial and commercial capital into agriculture, what do you think the prospects are?
Chen Xiwen: Some places invite companies in, some of them are successful, but more I think it is unsuccessful. For example, if a large modern farm is built, the villagers' committee will not be able to get it up, and the investment will be several hundred million, and the industrial and commercial enterprises will be able to get it up. However, an enterprise rents thousands of acres or even tens of thousands of acres of land to plant, which needs to be carefully considered.
Now the state advocates the development of large-scale planting, why is corporatized planting not possible?
Chen Xiwen: There are 170 million peasants in China who have gone to townships and towns outside the country, accounting for more than 30 percent of the rural labor force, and the land circulation mentioned above is nearly 30 percent, so there is no problem now. But the scale of land circulation is large, if more than half of the land is concentrated, then what will the remaining rural labor force do?
The state advocates engaging in scale management, but it is also a trend, the essence of scale management is not the ground, the essence is people, people go to other places, there are better jobs and income, you can not drag. But unable to find a better job and income, why did he leave the land? I think this matter should be based on reality.
Why do some local governments support corporate capital to enter agricultural production?
Chen Xiwen: Excessive government intervention will cause bad things. There are many places that say that one hundred acres of land is concentrated, and how much is subsidized for each acre. Some enterprises are going to subsidies, and some even think better, first enclose the land and then say, in the future there will be opportunities to engage in non-agricultural construction to make more money, so there are all kinds of ideas. But what is certain is that enterprises first go to make money.
But I dare say that the people who really engage in agriculture know that the matter of farming cannot be solved by hiring workers. Because these employees may be lazy and not work. Agricultural cultivation is different from industry, and there is no standardized assembly line. Planted for a year, you may end up being fooled for a year.