Cross-Cyclical Regulation Mechanism for Agriculture: The Essence, Key Tasks and Strategic Choices
Yang Jiudong1 Guo Yunyun2
(1.School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872;2.College of Economics and Management, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642)
Abstract:The agricultural cross-cyclical regulation is a regulatory mechanism that conducts robust, scientific and moderate interventions for the general, public and long-term agricultural economic activities. The state establishes this regulation from the macro perspective of medium and long-term agricultural development, based upon careful evaluations of the rationality and abnormality of fluctuations in agricultural economic cycles. The goal of regulation is to overcome the cyclical fluctuations of the agricultural economy itself and avoid it from triggering “extraordinary” chain reactions and systemic risks in the national economy. Through the use of multiple complementary policy tools such as finance, currency, and exchange rate, and comprehensive use of administrative, legal, market and other means, a governance structure and work operation system covering forecasting, early warning, evaluation, supervision, and responsibility have been established. The key areas of agricultural cross-cyclical regulation include ensuring the effective supply of grain and important agricultural products, stabilizing the price and market order of agricultural products, unblocking the production and marketing channels of agricultural products, promoting the stable development of agricultural and rural investment and financing, maintaining the stable growth of farmers’ employment and income, and balancing the relationship between stable growth and risk prevention. It is advisable to promote the path optimization of China’s agricultural cross-cyclical regulation mechanism from the aspects of coordinating the authority of top-level design with the flexibility of market regulation, correctly giving full play to the role of government and market, promoting the construction of laws, coordinating the domestic large cycle with a high-level opening to the outside world.