Agricultural Census Communique No. 2

Communique on General Results of

the Manual Tabulation for the First National Agricultural Census

by the National Agricultural Census Office in China

 

No. 2

 

Number and Structure of Rural Holdings

 

The first National Agricultural Census conducted a complete enumeration on all rural households, non-agricultural holdings and non-agricultural township and town enterprises. By this census, it is the first time to understand the types and size of the rural households; types and size of non-household agricultural holdings; types and size of non-agricultural township and town enterprises. Now the manual tabulation results on part of related census data are published as follows:

 

1. Size and structure of rural households

 

Since the reform adopted in China in 1978, great changes have been taken place in the rural economy. As the adjustment of industrial structure goes on, the structure of rural households also changed quite a lot. The proportion of agricultural households (AHHs) is decreasing and of the non-agricultural households (NAHHs) is increasing. The pure agricultural households takes less proportion and households with population engaged in both agricultural and non-agricultural activities are increasing.

 

At the end of 1996, according to the manual tabulation results for the census, the number of rural households engaged in production activities in China was 214.5574 million. According to 40576 rural households selected for the post-enumeration survey, of all the rural households, there was 90.47% being agricultural households, 9.53% non-agricultural households. Of all the rural households, pure agricultural households (PAHHs) took 62.81%, the households mainly engaged in agriculture but also involved in non-agricultural activities (HHANAA) was 30.57%, and the households mainly engaged in non-agriculture but also involved in agricultural activities (HHNAAA) was 6.62%.

 

From the point of view which divided the country into east, middle and west parts, in the east part there were 87.4091 million rural households engaged in production activities and took 40.74% of the national total; in the middle part 74.2076 million rural households, and 34.59%; in the west part 52.9407 million rural households, and 24.67%. As the economy in the east part developed faster than in the west part, it showed that the proportions of agricultural households, non-agricultural households and households engaged in both were quite unbalanced, the proportion of agricultural households in the east part was much lower than in the middle and west parts (see the table 1).

Table 1: Industrial structure of rural household operation

in the east, middle and west parts

 

	Rural households as 100 (%)		Agricultural households as 100 (%)
	Proportion of AHHs	Proportion of NAHHs	Proportion of PAHHs	Proportion of HHANAA	Proportion of HHNAAA
East part	84.71	15.29	24	90	4.74
Middle part	53	5.47	66.70	28.56	9.86
West part	80	4.20	70.27	26.01	3.72

 

2. Size and structure of non-household agricultural holdings

 

Since the reform and the open-door policy were adopted, it has showed the fact that the economy with public ownership is as a principal component and other economic components developed accordingly in the rural areas. As to the non-household agricultural holdings, the leading position taken by the public ownership (state plus collective) did not change. On the pre-condition of maintaining and developing the public economy as a principal component, the individual, private and foreign invested economies were positively promoted in the localities; the adequate scale economy was gradually adopted where with conditions. According to the manual tabulation, at the end of the year 1996, the non-household agricultural holdings in China were 356.4 thousand, of which state owned 36.8 thousand, collective owned 212.7, both took 70% of the total; private and individual holdings were 74.7 thousand, took 20.95%; foreign invested, Hong kong and Macao invested holdings were 1.3 thousand, took 0.36%; joint holdings were 30.9 thousand, took 8.69%.

 

From the operational types of view, of all the non-household agricultural holdings in China, mainly engaged in crop planting were 144.1 thousand, livestock and animal husbandry were 35.5 thousand, forestry 113.8 thousand, fisheries 63 thousand. Although the persons employed in all these holdings were less, the operated agricultural land and the raised number of livestock were in large quantity (see table 2).

 

Table 2: Operational size of non-household agricultural holdings in China

 

	Number or quantity	Each holding
Persons employed	9750902	27.36
Cultivated land (ha.)	6470438	18.15
Garden-plot area (ha.)	1160911	3.26
Forest area (ha.)	43724421	122.67
Grassland area (ha.)	19536633	54.81
Surface for fisheries and culturing (ha.)	2075217	5.82
Large animals in inventory at the year end	3607188	10.12
Hogs in inventory at the year end	17389671	48.79
Sheep and goats in inventory at the year end	13078328	36.69

 

If looking at the country in three parts, the number of non-household holdings in the east part was larger in quantity, reached 173.6 thousand and took 48.72% of the national totals; in the middle part were 117.9 thousand, took 33.08%; in the west part were only 64.9 thousand, took 18.20%. In all the parts of the country, the public owned holdings (state plus collective) took a leading position, but the proportion of the private, individual, jointly operated, foreign-invested, Hongkong- and Macao-invested holdings in the east part of China were obviously higher than in the middle and west parts (see table 3).

 

Table 3: Structure of economic operation by non-household agricultural holdings in the east, middle and west parts

	East part		Middle part		West part
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Total	173640	100.00	117917	100.00	64883	100.00
State	11554	6.65	16509	14.00	8777	13.53
Collective	84715	48.79	86330	73.21	41615	64.14
Private	3784	2.18	1151	0.98	1032	1.59
Individual	48163	27.74	10769	9.13	9789	15.09
Jointly operated	24290	13.99	3057	2.59	3629	5.59
Foreign invested	334	0.19	44	0.04	18	0.03
Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan invested	800	0.46	57	0.05	23	0.04

 

From the provincial point of view, the non-household agricultural holdings operated by foreign businessmen in Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong and Hainan Provinces were 61.11% over the national totals; operated by Hongkong and Macao businessmen were 82.39% over the national totals. The non-household agricultural holdings operated by individuals in Jiangsu and Guangdong Provinces were 47.11% over the national totals.

 

3. Size and structure of the non-agricultural township and town enterprises

 

The rural township and town enterprises in China hold the principle that the rural collective economy is taken as a principal component, various other economic components develop together. Since 1984, the development of township and town enterprises showed a strong force in the rural economy and a leading component in the national economy. From the manual tabulation results of the census, at the end of 1996, the total number of non-agricultural township and town enterprises in China was 1,396.3 thousand, of which, run by townships and towns were 310.2 thousand, run by villages 511.9 thousand, run by household unions and individual households 574.2 thousand. Rural enterprises run by townships and towns and villages took 58.88% of the national totals. The employees in township and town enterprises were 5296.73 thousand, on average the employees in each enterprise were 37.94.

 

From industrial point of view, of the total non-agricultural township and town enterprises in the country, the industrial enterprises were largest in quantity, wholesale, retail and trade, construction also took certain proportion, transportation, public service and other tertiary industries were less (see table 4).

 

Table 4: Industrial types and structure of non-agricultural

township and town enterprises in China

 

	Number	Percentage
Total	1396254	100.00
Industry	1127917	80.78
Construction	88038	6.31
Transportation	23820	1.71
Wholesale, retail and catering service	112152	8.03
Public service and other industries	44327	3.17

 

Looking at various parts of China, the proportion of non-agricultural township and town enterprises in different areas are quite imbalance-balanced, in the east part, there were 771.2 thousand enterprises and took 55.24% over the national totals; in the middle part, 440.5 thousand and 31.55%; in the west part, 184.5 thousand and only 13.21%. The enterprises with collective ownership organized and run by townships and villages in different areas took the leading position, the proportion of enterprises run by household unions in the east and middle parts was higher and in the west part was lower, the proportion of enterprises run by individual households in the west part was higher than that in the east and middle parts (see table 5).

 

Table 5: Structure and distribution of non-agricultural township and town enterprises in the east, middle and west parts

 

 

As to the provinces, the enterprises run by townships and towns and by villages in coastal Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and Guangdong Provinces were 33.62% and 37.88% respectively over the national total; the enterprises run by household unions in Zhejiang and Hebei Provinces were 27.82%; the enterprises run by individual households in Guangdong and Zhejiang Provinces were 23.85% over the national total.