ABSTRACT
Food security was one of the serious issues facing the Chinese government after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. In the urban areas, facing inflationary pressures and instability in the grain market, the government made great efforts to stabilize the market. The rationing system - including procurement quotas based on consideration of local food, feed, and seed requirements - provided a general food security for the entire population. Security was defined in terms of quantities of grain and other basic foodstuffs, however, not in nutritional status or quality. The management of grain production experienced a transition from individual household producer to collective, cooperative and commune; and from unplanned to planned during this period. Quota prices were fixed with modest regional differentials, and only changed when there was a compelling need to improve farming incentives or meet costs of increased input use.
