Crop production is based on agricultural cultivated land. In 2002, there were only 654.38+53.4 million hectares of arable land in the world. Excluding perennial crops, the cultivated land area in China is 65.438+40.4 million hectares, and about 757 million hectares are used to grow food crops, accounting for 53.92%. In 2002, there were 65.438+0.54 billion hectares of arable land in China, excluding perennial crops, of which about 65.438+0.44 billion hectares were used to grow food crops, accounting for 75.69% of the arable land. Therefore, half of the world's arable land and 3/4 of China's arable land are used for food production, which highlights the role and position of food crops in agriculture.
Grain crops are industries that produce grain. As the most basic necessity for human survival, food has always had unparalleled social and political significance. This is not only manifested in developing countries, but also a focus of conflict between developed and developing countries. Because of the food problem, the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations almost aborted; Because of the food problem, farmers in Europe 12 countries put tractors on the street; Because of the food problem, the United States has set a precedent for high subsidies to farmers; Because of the food problem, Korean farmers threw "organic fertilizer" into a research institute that advocated opening the rice market (Ke Bingsheng,1995); China's tortuous WTO negotiations focused on agriculture with grain as the core.
In China, from the policy program of "digging deep holes and accumulating grain extensively" in ancient times to the development strategy of "taking grain as the key link" in the 20th century, it shows that politicians of past dynasties have attached great importance to the grain problem. In the 1950s and 1970s, in order to get rid of the poverty and backwardness of the country, the Party and the government put forward the slogans of "steel as the key link in industry" and "grain as the key link in agriculture", and mobilized the whole party to grasp agriculture and take the lead. However, at that time, a considerable number of people in the country were hungry and semi-hungry. Grasping agriculture means grasping grain, and grain is agriculture, regardless of cost and price, as long as grain is produced. At a high price, China's total grain output exceeded 300 million tons in 1978, reaching 3 18kg per capita, thus solving the problem of food and clothing for the whole people. After China's reform and opening-up, the policy of implementing contract responsibility system, promoting scientific and technological progress and increasing agricultural input has created a new situation of "taking grain as the key link, developing in an all-round way, adjusting measures to local conditions and properly concentrating", but the construction of a national commodity grain base is still regarded as the top priority of major events such as agriculture. After 20 years' efforts, China's grain output reached 51.2000 tons in 1.98, showing a good situation of basic balance and high yield, which basically made the people of the whole country reach a well-off level. After entering the new century, China has entered a new stage of building a well-off society in an all-round way. Due to returning farmland to forest (grass) and strategic structural adjustment, the grain planting area decreased from113.79 million hm2 in 1998 to 994 10000 hm2 in 2003, and there was a gap between grain supply and demand. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued "Document 1" respectively, requiring the whole party and the whole country to take the work concerning agriculture, countryside and farmers as the top priority and focus on grain production, which once again highlighted the profound social and political significance and social stability of agriculture as the foundation of national economy and grain as the foundation of agriculture.
The contribution rate of grain to the total output value of the national economy in various agricultural industries is relatively high. In 1978, the added value of agriculture accounts for 28.4% of GDP, while the added value of grain accounts for 1 1% of GDP, that is, grain accounts for nearly 2/5 of agricultural contribution; 1992, the added value of agriculture accounted for 23.9% of GDP, and the added value of grain accounted for 5.6% of GDP. The added value of grain still accounts for 1/4 of the contribution of the whole agriculture (agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery) to the national economy (Ke Bingsheng, 1995). This proportion will definitely be higher in the 1950s and 1960s. Although it will decline with the adjustment of agriculture and rural structure after entering this century, the absolute amount has been increasing. On the other hand, with the improvement of people's living standards, the output value of the food industry is also increasing year by year. In 2003, the added value of food industry reached 1.3 trillion yuan, accounting for about 1 1% of GDP, in which grain is one of the most important raw materials for food industry. Therefore, although the direct contribution rate of grain in agriculture and GDP has declined, the indirect contribution is still very large, and with the rapid growth of food industry, the status and role of grain will only be strengthened and will never be weakened.