Closer eye on grain subsidies

Harvesters work in wheat field in Sangyuan Township of Wuqiao county, North China's Hebei province, June 14, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

The recent exposure of the widespread acquisition of a huge amount of State subsidies earmarked for grain planting has revealed the loopholes in oversight and management of these State funds.

Through falsely overstating the growing area in Central China's Hubei province, more than 1,000 people, including government officials and State farmland employees in multiple cities of the province, have illegally gained more than 80 million yuan ($12.52 million).

Some of those involved have been punished and some funds have been retrieved, but the participation of such a large number of people, even some government employees, in the misappropriation of these funds is shocking. The malpractice has fully exposed the lax monitoring and management system for the policy, whose effective implementation is intended to help ensure the country's grain security.

With the world's largest population, the importance of maintaining a sufficient area of grain planting in China is self-evident. That is why the country has attached great importance to agriculture, even though its output value has declined in the country's aggregate output. Against the backdrop that low grain prices have seriously dampened farmers' enthusiasm to plant grains and prompted many to look for better-paying ways of making a living, providing subsidies has been necessary to encourage the growing of grains.

These State subsidies over the past years have played a role in raising farmers' enthusiasm and to some extent made up for the losses caused by low grain prices. And the policy should be maintained and even expanded as grain planting costs rise. But as the malpractice in Hubei indicates, not all of these funds have flowed where there are intended. This calls for stricter and more effective oversight that can prevent such misappropriation.

The ever-diminishing grain growing area, together with farmers' declining interest in growing grains, if not reversed, will pose a severe threat to the country's grain security.