The Government Functions In The Development Of Chinese New-styleAgricultural Cooperatives

The new-style agricultural cooperatives have developed rapidly ever since the mid-1990s. However, there are numerous problems in their development, most of which are related to the behaviors of governments. The influence brought by globalization on Chinese agriculture has become more and more obvious since China's entry to WTO. In order to solve the problems of "country/agriculture/peasants" and to meet the challenges of WTO, the government must pay much more attention to the new-style agricultural cooperatives and play an active role in their development. Based on many consults with experts in cooperatives and a comprehensive research on the new-style agricultural cooperatives in Beijing, Shandong, Henan and Zhejiang, and an extensive exploration into theories and historical practices of agricultural cooperatives at home and abroad, especially a deep analysis of Chinese current new-style agricultural cooperatives, the author will tentatively put forward the following suggestions: Following the family responsibility system,the new-style agricultural cooperative is becoming a good way in which china agriculture realize the second leap said by Deng Xiaoping.It is an effective form in organizing and operating new collective economy,which suits for industrialization and modernization of agriculture, and has bright prospects. According to the situation of China and the developing trend of international cooperatives, it is of great theoretical and practical value to deep explore a new developing route for the new-style cooperatives which fit current situation. Different from the western countries, China has been in the course of two transformations. Though there is still a huge gap occurring between China and western countries in the marketization of agriculture, farmers' democratic consciousness, merchandise consciousness, management quality and culture level, they have improved much more than before, and will quickly improve with the further reformation in the future. Therefore, we should take neither the western route which was bottom up, nor the route taken by Japan and India which was top down. The route we attempt to adopt is the one in which the new-style agricultural cooperatives will develop bottom up under the governments' support.In the development of new-type agricultural cooperatives, the Party and government should attach high importance on the development of new-style agricultural cooperatives, provide supports on finance, credit and taxation, and offer guarantee in terms of the policy and the legislation.Meanwhile, the Party and government should create a sound environment for the development of new-style agricultural cooperatives, which includes: 1) to thoroughly transform the traditional supply-distribution cooperatives and agricultural credit cooperatives, and to make way for the peasants' own cooperatives; 2) to make sure who is in charge of new-style agricultural cooperatives in governments,to constitute credit cooperative system ; 3) to transform government' roles, to perfect the market economy system, and to build a unitive market all over the country; 4) to increase the input in agriculture and accelerate the public projects; 5) to establish agricultural insurance system; 6) to reinforce international intercourse and cooperation, and to implement international political and economic policies which benefit agricultural development. etc.