FOOD PRODUCTION IN CHINA AND EFFECT ON NATIONAL ECONOMY AND NUTRITION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 23
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 23, 2011
• Sequence Number: 63
• Publication Date: August 24, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
INFORMATION 'FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BR0ADCA3T5 CD NO.
CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTED
SECURITY INFORHIATION
SUBJECT Economic -Agriculture, crop production
Sociological -Population, health
HOW
PUBLISHED Monograph
WHERE
PUBLISHED Shanghai
DATE
PUBLISHED Dec 1950
LANRU.aGE Chinese
rxu oacwcxr caxnw ~ ?n ox-?ircFtixa rxc x.n oxn ncnxu
or rxc uxirm n?r[a. arxu rxc xc?xi?a or nnc u. acn oxr m
?xe n?, ar m u.r. coos. ? cxoco. m rxwrxuciox o? rrvc.
unex or rn coxnxn ro accrccu rr r n ux?urron xe rmor ~r
o r c __~r ..o.m ne.
DATE OF
INFORMATION 194j - 1950
UAIE DIST. a`~Aug 1953
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
Chung-kuo_ti Liam-shih ShenQ-ch'an, vublished by Yung-hsiagg Yin-shu-
FOOD PRODUCTION lid CHIftA AND EFFECT
ON NATIONAL ECONOMY AND NUTRITION
~omment and Summary; This report presents selected extracts
from a Chinese-language monograph, written by Wu Hua-pao and pub-
lished in 1950, entitled Chung-kuo-ti Lia -shih She -ch'en (Food
Production in China). Lack of detailed information for 19 9 ;.nd
1950 made it necessary to use 1947 figures as a basis for compari-
son. The report includes 16 tables.
Wu's analysis of the crop situation shows that China's food
supply ass to be greatly increased to meet the basic requirements
of an adequate diet. He points out certain mistakes made in dis-
tribution and management of land, and indicates what readjustments
in agricultural production are necessary. Included in his program
of recovery and development are the achieving of correct nutrition
through planting the correct proportion of foods and increasing
animal, fruit and vegetable production for more protein and miner-
als in t}.~ irdiv3dusl diet. Based on KI+Il' government estimates,
standards of-.basic per capita daily nutritional requirements are
set un for children (ages 1-10), adults (ages 11-50 ), and the aged
(over 50 ).
Production of materials for industrial use and for export are
to he encouraged, U1. to 195J, 80 percent of the farmers had been
devotinE 85 percent of their effort to producing food for local con-
sumption. A 5-year goal is set up to be met by reapportioning land
to different kinds of crops, bringing more land under cultivation
where necessary, and increasing the production per unit of acreage
already under cultivation
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
The Yood crop production for 1949 xas estimated as 225 billion cattiea,
and for 1950, as 240 billion cattiea. For these years, xe have neither a break-
doxn of the different crops nor detailed information regarding the acreage.
Therefore, xe have to use the 1947 figures an a boats for computations. The
year 1947 xas a fairly good one for crops. The total food crop production for
that year xae set at the equiva'.ent of 255.1 billion catties cf unprocessed
cereal crops. Potatoes xere converted to cereals at the rate of 4 catties to
one catty or unprocessed cereal trope. The term "potat ~s" throughout this
report includes yams, axeet potatoes, and Irish potatoes_
It is estimated that production fell to 240 billion cettien in 1950, but
it is believed that the 1947 level can be reached again easily. For the sake
of convenience, cur2ent production is assured to be at the 1947 level in order
that xe can xork out a program of recovery, reform, and development.
Table 1 reveals that the total c: 490 million mou ~ne mou equals 1/6 acr~
planted to rice and xheat accounted for 45 percent of the total cultivated acre-
age is '_947 xhile the total production of these cereals xas 1.4 billion cattiea,
or about 62 percent of total grain production.
It should be pointed out that in Table 1, the production and acreage figures
for soybeans and peanuts ar^ net figures after deducting the amoi+nt used in
oil production. It is estimated 50 percent of the soybeans and 35 percent of the
peanuts arP used for the production of oils. The soyoean and peanut figures ir.
Table 1 include only those uoed for food.
(The 1947 tables in this report are based on reports of the KFII' Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Food.)
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
Cultivated Area Production
million of mou ,17-pp million cattiea
~ ?
Potatoes?
51.3
515.4
Total, excluding potatoes
1,271.6
2,422.5
Total, including potatoes
1,322,9
2,93.9
Adluated .Total
(k c:?;ties of potatoes
equal one catty of un-
processed grainj
2,551.4
In Table 2 the percentages for nonfood uses are the writer's estimates,
not actual figures, In this table, which is prepared for use in later dis-
cus6ioa, barley and eight other crops are combined under one heading called
miscellaneous grains, Rice and wheat are listed separately because oP their
relative importance in the group, Soy'aeans and potatoes are not included is
miscellaneous grains because their nutritional value differs greatly fY~om
ths.t of rice, wheat, and the other grains,
The difference between total production and the amount used for other
purposes is the total consumption e.s food, consisting of rice, wheat, and
miscellaneous grains totaling 200,3 billion cattiea, soybeans 5 billion
cattiea, and potatoes 38,1 billion cattiea, or a total of 243,4 billion
cattiea,
~ee table on following page
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
?
Cultivated
Production
Industrial
Storage,
Transport
Total Other
Thsa Por
Unprocessed
Food Crops
Crop
Area
(million mou)
(100 million
cattier)
Seeds
~' L
Fe~ded~
~r~
Use
($)
Losses
(~,)
Food
(~r)
(100 ml.llion
cattier)
Rice
280.4
966.9
4
--
1
6
11
860.5
Hheat
311.4
430.5
8
1
--
6
15
366.0
Miscellaneous
Grains
626.7
945.4
7
8
1
6
22
737.4
Soybeans
53.1
79.6
14
10
--
12
36
50.9
Potatoes
51.3
515.%+
7
7
--
12
26
381.4
Total
1,322.9
2,937.9
~
2,396.2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
1. The amount of soybeans for industrial use, which is approximately 50
percent, has already been deducted from the production figure in the table.
The deducted avauat is used entirely in the making of oil. Therefore, when
ve estimate the amount used for seeds, feed, storage, and transportation losses,
etc., the percentages are double those of the other grains.
2. The actual percentages for losses in storage and transportation are
very high. Although it is true that part of the crops can be stored in coun-
try warehouses to minimize losses in transportation, such facilitie3 are quite
poo^ and per~ait much higher losses Lecauae of worms, sparrows, and mice.
Whether or not the estimated average lose of 6 percent is too high still re-
mains to be discussed. The estimated percentage of lose for potatoes, a bulky
item containing much water, must be doubled.
In addition to the above agricultural products, there are other foods
needed for daily consumption, including vegetables, fruits, vegetable oils,
and animal products such as meat, fat, Y:.sh, and eggs. The consumption of
these foods may affect the amount of grains consumed. In this connection
several tables have been prepared.
Table 3. Total Vegetable and Fruit Production 1947
(Report of KMP National Economic Council]
Production
(100 million cattier)
Vegetables
346
Fruit
67
Total
47.3
No queotion is raised here concerning the accuracy of the above figures.
The fact is that present fruit production has fallen off considerably, while
vegetable production has remained at about the previo?.~a level.
The ,joint study made by the KMP 2inistry of Agriculture and Forestry and
the Ministry of Foods reveals that in !.947 the total production of four trope
used in the refining of vegetable oils was 18.2 billion cattier. The entire
crups of soybeans and peanuts were available for the making of v=getable oils.
Two percent of the total production of oil-producing vegetables had to be re-
tained for seeds. Onl;; 40 percent of the serene ae?d crap could be used for
oil production; therefore, the total amount available for use in oil refineries
was 17.3 billion cattiea, producing about 4 billion cattier of vegetable oil.
The percen~;agea of oil recovery for these different productr varied as chown
in the following table.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
Products
Soybeans
Rape seed
Peanuts
Sesame seed
Total
87.7 74.5
7.0 15.8
1~.9 13.c
Oil Produced
(100 million catties)
79.6
li
8.8
73.0
32
23.4
1~.8
38
6.0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
Cultivated Area Production
_(million nou) (100 million catties)
53.1 79.6
Amount Used for Oil
(100 million catties)
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130063-6
wen more than -_ _.___,,..,.., ..,,,,,.,,,,,~,; wuncii, meal proauctioa
3.3 billio:i cattiea. This included beef, pork, mutton, and poultry
(chickens,.ducis, gases). More than 500 million cattiea of fat was produred,
making's total'of 3.9 billion cattiea of meat and fat. Ts~ distributi~; wen as
fol].otra: -pork and fat, 73 percent; mutton and fat, more than iv percent; beef
ead.fat, more than 9 percent; poultry more than 7 percent. In 1947, the total
fish,cetch vas about 1:4 billion cattiea. The total egg production from chickens,
ducks, and geese vas 8.8 billion. Assuming ten eggs have an average weight of
one