There have been two pieces of news about dramatic price fluctuation of agricultural products recently. One is the 20-fold year-on-year rise in the price of garlic, and the other is about banana price in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region falling to 0.4 yuan from last year's 1.5 yuan a kg. The People's Daily reported on Monday that traders purchased garlic from farmers in Shandong province at 4.4 yuan a kg while the price was 0.6 yuan a kg in May.
Normally, I do not pay much attention to fluctuations in grocery prices because I am not the cook in my family. So to find out about the price changes, I did a small investigation yesterday at a supermarket near my home. I found that garlic sold for 12 yuan and bananas for 4 yuan a kg.
As a consumer, I certainly dislike any price rise. But the thought that my rural cousins (I have worked and lived in the countryside for 10 years) could benefit from the higher prices of farm products soon put my mind at ease. My heart would not ache if the extra money I paid ended up in my fellow countrymen's wallets. And I believe most urban consumers would accept the burden without too much grievance.
The problem, however, is whether the money really finds its way into the farmers' pockets. We urban residents want to know.
According to the People's Daily report, most garlic glowers disposed of their products when the price rose to 2 yuan a kg. And that was exactly the production cost. Given this fact, we can conclude that the intermediate traders between the producers and consumers grabbed the largest part of the extra profits generated from the rise in the price, with only a small number of farmers making a little more money.
Although the traders paid the costs for purchasing, transporting and processing the garlic, it is inarguable that they took the lion's share of the profits, too.
Since China took to the road of market economy, there has been no consensus on whether the middle links between producers and consumers have pocketed most of the profits. Two years ago, when I wrote a column on the same topic, I felt frustrated at the lack of authoritative data on the problem.
Early last year, finally some departments began investigating the matter. In May 2008, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture conducted a "close follow-up" investigation into the profit distribution of nine products flowing from the field to the market.
According to media reports, the investigation concluded: "In general, the profits made by the wholesale and retail links are excessively high." An investigation conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture before the joint probe had reached a similar conclusion.
But more noteworthy is the conclusion reached by the joint investigation team from the three government departments, which states: "While farmers suffer from the fluctuation in the prices of farm produce, the middle links enjoy a relatively stable profit-earning. For instance, chili growers began to make profit this year after suffering a 31 percent loss last year. But the profit rates of the wholesale and retail agents have remained between 28.7 and 34.1 percent, while that for supermarkets has been between 89.5 and 96.8 per cent."
This means that although farmers can make some profit from rising prices, the profit in general is limited if the losses they have suffered previously are taken into account.
But the middle agents have a guaranteed income both on sunny and rainy days. In other words, farmers take the risk while traders count the money.
Something has to be done to change this situation.
The responsibility rests on the government. It has made a good beginning by conducting an earnest investigation into the profit distribution.
Now it needs to reverse the unfair trend to bring real benefit to farmers, who are the largest potential force to propel domestic spending.
电话英语:电话交谈基本语句
电话英语:打电话的几种情况 18
电话英语:对方不在的说法 23
电话英语:对方不在的13种表达法
电话英语:打电话的几种情况(3)
电话英语:电话用语"非常8+1"12
电话英语:要找的人不在的理由
电话英语:如何打一般性电话?
电话英语:如何拨打商务电话?
电话英语:电话故障 9
听听老美的一些电话留言,你想不到的幽默
电话英语:电话常用英语口语 20
电话英语:"打电话"相关用语 14
电话英语:结束电话 11
电话英语:用英语预订机位
电话英语:如何用英语接听电话 13
电话英语:Greetings 问候 15
电话英语:打电话 接电话 1
电话英语:交谈打电话常用语句(1)
电话英语:接电话用语总结 21
电话英语:用英语打电话N 种说法篇 4
电话英语:如何用英语接电话?
打电话更尴尬?电话口语有学问!
电话英语:电话交谈语句
电话英语:长途电话 6
电话英语:电话呼叫转移 17
电话英语:打公用电话常用语
电话英语:交谈打电话常用语句(2)
电话英语:求医预约电话
电话英语:电话交谈实用会话
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |