Chinese Agricultral Policy--Farmer Brown Gets Snookered

[Tom Lehman]

After reading some comments by Paul Gillmor, on how China/PNTR/WTO
would be good for American farmers, I decided to do a little research.
Here's a little of what I found out from a cursory reading of the
pro-pntr propaganda on the Agriculture Department(USDA) website.

China is a large exporter of corn.

China is a large exporter of rice.

China is an exporter of soybeans and is expected to be a larger exporter
of soybeans.

China has huge grain reserves---the Chinese government keeps the amount
of the reserves it holds secret.

China has 40% more arable land than is reported---due to internal tax
issues.

China is expected to improve its seed quality, fertilizer use, and
irrigation. Their government has set aside money for improvements in
these areas. ( This is a real kicker, according to the USDA the Chinese
in the inland rural areas don't use fertilizer period and in areas it is
used they don't use a good cheap basic fertilizer like urea.)

Chinese grain yields per acre are about 1/2 of US yields.

So to make a long story short the promised bonanza for American farmers
looks like an empty promise.  If anything American agricultural exports
to Asia may decline.

Remember these facts have been gleaned from pro-pntr propaganda on the
USDA website.  Did you know that China is the second largest exporter of
corn in the world?

Tom Lehman

440-282-6015

Max Sawicky wrote:


> "Exported to Death -- The Failure of Agricultural Deregulation"
> Robert Scott, Economic Policy Institute
>
> "In 1996, free market Republicans and budget-cutting Democrats offered
>   farmers a deal: accept a cut in farm subsidies and, in return, the
>   government would promote exports in new trade deals with Latin
>   America and in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and eliminate
>   restrictions on planting decisions. In economic terms, farmers were
>   asked to take on risks heretofore assumed by the government in
>   exchange for deregulation and the promise of increased exports. . . .
>
> http://epinet.org
> PDF version available gratis
>
> mbs
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> Quite a bit of the hot air on this China PNTR deal has been directed at
> the American farmer.  The corporate propagandists have been painting the
> China PNTR deal as a bonanza for the American farmer.  Guess what just a
> cursory read of the pro-PNTR propaganda from the Agriculture Department
> blows big holes in this pro-China PNTR hype.
>
> I wonder who else has caught this?
>
> Tom Lehman