The Growing Grain Deficit and Its Implications for China's Developmental Strategy

In the late 1980s, the issue of grain once again became a topic for debate within China's policy circles. Prior to that time, the sharp acceleration in grain production between 1978 and 1984 had led some to conclude that China had solved its grain problem, at least for the time being. Grain output peaked, however, in 1984 at 407 million tons and stayed below that level throughout the next four years. From being a net exporter of grain in 1985 and 1986, China in 1987 and 1988 returned to its more normal posture of being a net importer of cereals.