China's Current Grain Marketing System and its Impact on Farm Household Behaviour

Abstract

In March 2001, China re-opened its grain market first in Zhejiang Province and then in several other provinces. This is an important development of current grain marketing policy implemented since 1998, indicating that China's grain marketing policy is forwarding into a new period. <br><br> 1998's grain marketing policy has raised a lot of concerns once it was put into effect. Many scholars analysed its impacts from different perspectives. Huan Jikun (1998), Xu Dehui (1999), Han Jizhi (1999), Wang Shujuan (2001) and Xu Zhenyu (2001) all analysed the background and essence of 1998's policy and the relationship between various players in the grain sector under the new policy. But those reviews on the new policy were not adequate. Based on our previous research and current survey of 201-farm household in S County, J Province, this paper investigates the implementation of 1998's policy and characteristics of farmers' responding behaviour in their grain production, sales and consumption. Show more