Three explorations of the "post-effect" of agricultural product price increase, or the "labor shortage"

Since the beginning of this year, the prices of some agricultural products have continued to rise. Although the prices of agricultural products have started to fall slightly as the national and local governments have decisively introduced a series of measures to stabilize prices, the “post effect” of the price increase of agricultural products has begun to attract attention. Will a "short laborer shortage" be staged? Will hot money enter large amounts of agricultural products? Will branded agricultural products become the new engine that drives farmers to increase their income?

Will the price increase of agricultural products lead to a new round of “labor shortage”?

Peasant Zheng Haidi, a farmer from Rucheng County, Shandong province, is 25 years old and has been working in a construction company in Tianjin in recent years. Previously, Zheng Haidi returned home once every New Year. This year, he resigned in early November and returned to his hometown in Luancheng.

Zheng Haidi told reporters that when he was working in Tianjin, he paid more than 3,000 yuan a month. “Salary costs a lot, but in big cities, spending is too big. With rents, food and clothing removed, it can be as good as 1,000 a month.” Zheng Haidi chooses to leave early. The important reason. "Because of the increase in agricultural prices, the income of farmers has increased a lot over the past few years. My family has more than 20 mu of land, and it is no problem that we can earn 40,000 yuan a year. Since we have a lot of home money, we can also live with our family. Why do you have to work hard outside?” said Zheng Haidi.

In an interview, the reporter found that because some migrant workers “go back home” in advance, some companies have seen “migrant workers shortage” in varying degrees. Qingdao Zaiyi Food Co., Ltd. is a kimchi manufacturer. This year, the export volume of kimchi will reach more than 4,000 tons. Wang Meng, manager of the company, told the reporter, “This year is one of the most profitable years for pickle manufacturers. The profit per ton can reach about 80 US dollars and there are many orders.” To further increase the production capacity, Qingdao Zaiyi Food Co., Ltd. has an average price of RMB 8 per hour. Salary recruitment workers. "Recently more than 40 workers have been recruited one after another, but workers are still very short and the production capacity cannot meet the demand for orders."

Peng Xiufeng, director of the Agricultural Bureau of Linyi County in Shandong Province, told reporters that since the beginning of this year, the price of agricultural labor has continued to rise, and the price of rural labor has risen accordingly. Even in the county towns, “big sledgehammers” can earn more than 100 yuan a day. “Farmers can make money at their doorsteps, and there is no incentive to work outside.” Analysis by the Human Resources and Social Security Department of Shandong Province has repeatedly appeared in recent years. The “migrant workers shortage” has multiple levels of reasons. One of the most important reasons is that the deep implementation of the national agricultural policy has made it more profitable to engage in agricultural production and has attracted many migrant workers to return to the fields.

Faced with the phenomenon of return of migrant workers caused by agricultural product price increases, Zhang Shanli, deputy director of the Shandong Provincial Labor and Employment Office, said that in order to alleviate the shortage of migrant workers, enterprises first need to change their concepts and can no longer rely on cheap labor to increase profits, but rely on structural upgrading. And technological transformation to improve the treatment of migrant workers, in order to ease the realistic pressure of recruitment difficulties. In addition, it is necessary for enterprises to further improve the living and working environment of migrant workers, carry out cultural and recreational activities to enrich the spiritual life of migrant workers, and stimulate the collective happiness of migrant workers and the cohesion of enterprises.

Will the hot money enter large-scale agricultural products?

Chu Hai Quan is a native of Chengwu County, Shandong Province. He has made a fortune by distributing garlic quickly in the past two years. "Since 2008, there have been a lot of funds in the community to enter the garlic procurement process. Together with the reduction in garlic production, these two factors have directly caused garlic prices to continue rising." Chu Haiquan said.

Chu Haiquan analyzed that the price of some agricultural products obviously violated the drastic fluctuations in the market laws, and the phenomena of “fast forward and fast out” of large amounts of funds in the agricultural product purchase market appeared, which clearly showed signs of hot money speculation. With some agricultural product distributors earning money in the past two years, this year the country has intensified its macro-control over the real estate market, and the trend of the stock market as a whole tends to be weak. These dealers have greater ability and motivation to “raise” future agricultural products. Market conditions.

Many professionals also believe that the price of agricultural products has rapidly increased, and the role of hot money has played a role in fueling this. Later, agricultural products may become the focus of hot money, but the scope of speculation will not be too large.

Feng Qunli, an economic expert at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, said that agricultural products suitable for hot money speculation often have the following characteristics: small output, reduced production, concentrated production areas, resistance to storage, rigid demand, and unfavorable regulation by the state, in fact, in addition to cotton, mung beans, garlic In addition to a few varieties, most agricultural products, such as cabbage and apples, are scattered in production, large in output, and have strong substitutes. “You have to eat more potatoes and you can eat pears,” and it is not suitable for hot money speculation.

Zhang Xiaojing, director of the Macroeconomic Department of the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with a Xinhua reporter that the price of agricultural products has risen and there are components of speculative speculation in hot money, but the reasons for the increase in costs are major. With the advancement of industrialization and urbanization, labor costs and agricultural capital costs in agricultural production have been rising. At the same time, the demand for agricultural products in cities and towns has continuously increased. This has made the rise of agricultural product prices a long-term trend.

In view of the abnormal fluctuations in the prices of some agricultural products and the malicious speculation of hot money, this year, the state tightened supervision over market transactions and price behaviors such as the purchase and circulation of agricultural products, and investigated and dealt with a number of typical cases that disrupted market order. At the same time, the electronic trading market for agricultural products, which seriously deviates from the spot market, does not rely on spot resources, has a small transaction size, is highly speculative, and has market sponsors entering the market to manipulate prices and embezzle funds, is firmly banned. “In the future, the phenomenon of hot money speculating on some agricultural products will still appear, but the possibility of large-scale and large-scale outbreaks will be minimal,” said Feng Qunli.

Branded agricultural products will become a new engine for farmers to increase income?

From the Korean "Kimchi crisis", Chinese cabbage prices have risen. Jiaozhou City, Shandong Province, is a famous “Chinese Jiaozhou cabbage” producing area. The good sales situation of Chinese cabbage this year has made farmers “taste sweet”.

Zhang Ji'an, a villager in the Wangwang Village, Jiaolai Town, Jiaozhou City, has planted 20 mu of Chinese cabbage this year. He once became a famous Chinese cabbage king for planting the heaviest Chinese cabbage. Zhang Ji’an calculated the sum for the reporter. The price of Chinese cabbage this year is relatively high. According to the current price, one acre of net income can reach about 4,000 yuan; plus the income of 3,000 yuan per mu after planting Chinese cabbage, this year he The total income of 20 acres of land will exceed 200,000 yuan.

Many places in Shandong are rich in agricultural products known throughout the country, such as Yantai Apple, Weifang radish, Jinxiang garlic, Jiaozhou cabbage, etc. These brands of agricultural products have a very significant role in helping farmers increase income. Guanshui Town is known as the “First Apple Town in China.” The town has an area of ​​100,000 mu orchards and produces more than 300,000 tons of apples per year. It is one of the main producing areas of “Yantai Apple” renowned both at home and abroad. Dong Ruilin, deputy secretary of the town party committee, said that in 2009 the town's fruit income reached 700 million yuan, and the per capita net income of fruit farmers was 8,800 yuan. This year's farmer income is definitely higher than last year. According to the rough estimate of current prices, the town's fruit growers have at least 300 million yuan more income than last year. yuan.

The unique charm of branded agricultural products has also encouraged many local governments and departments to increase the creation and protection of agricultural product brands. In early November, the Weihai Marine and Fisheries Bureau issued the “Opinions on Further Promoting the Healthy Development of the Sea Cucumber Industry”. Weihai City set up special funds at all levels of finance to provide standardization for the construction of sea cucumber industry, breeding of sea cucumber varieties, promotion of key technologies, and promotion of regional brands. Focus on support, and strive to create "Weihai sea cucumber" this regional brand. At the beginning of November, in order to further enhance the brand image of “Yantai Apple” and increase its popularity, Yantai City Bureau of Agriculture publicly solicited the “Yantai Apple” advertising language and packaging box (box) design proposal. The best slogan designer has a bonus of up to 2 Ten thousand yuan.

The reporter learned from the Shandong Provincial Department of Agriculture that in the next five years, Shandong will further increase the establishment and protection of branded agricultural products, and on the basis of collecting, sorting, and protecting varieties of resources, carry out quality improvement, development and utilization, and promote standardized production and commercialization. Deal with and brand marketing, fully amplify the brand effect, by 2015, cultivate more than 50 well-known domestic and foreign vegetable brands and several well-known fruit brands.

The "First China Agricultural Products Brand Conference" will be held in Hangzhou in mid-January next year. The theme of the conference will be “Brand, Ecology, and Competitiveness”. While reviewing the history of the branding of agricultural products in China and summing up experiences, the conference will further clarify the direction and approach of brand building of agricultural products. The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture stated that brand building is not only an effective way to improve the quality and safety of agricultural products, but also a “naked nose” for realizing modern agriculture.