Instructions on the Report on the Grain Conference Situation
(July 28, 1955)

To the Shanghai Bureau, all provincial and municipal Party committees, and all autonomous region Party committees:

The grain issue is extremely important, and all localities must grasp it firmly and handle it promptly. The report from Heilongjiang is hereby issued to you for reference.

Central Committee
July 28, 1955

Refers to the report submitted by the CPC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee and the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Committee to the Central Committee and the State Council on July 15, 1955, regarding the situation of the provincial grain conference. The report states that Heilongjiang Province convened a grain conference from July 6 to 10, during which the spirit of the national grain conference was conveyed. The comrades attending unanimously endorsed the policy of "resolutely reducing sales volume and appropriately lowering purchase volume" put forward by the Central Committee, expressing their determination to proceed from the overall situation, actively find ways to overcome difficulties, tap potential, and resolutely reduce grain sales volume. The specific measures include: mobilizing the urban floating population and surplus livestock to go to the countryside for production; verifying the population receiving supplies to eliminate duplicate grain distribution; clearly distinguishing between agricultural households and semi-agricultural households; lowering the standards for grain rations and urban feed grain, and supplying a portion of potatoes as a substitute for grain, while appropriately controlling grain use in the cooked food industry; thoroughly implementing conservation, and strictly controlling grain use in collective dining units such as government organs and enterprises. The conference conducted thorough discussions on fully implementing the supply system of "rationing based on individual quotas," unanimously agreeing that this is an important measure for reducing sales volume and a fundamental undertaking in grain work. To strengthen leadership over grain work, under the unified leadership of the provincial Party committee, a leading group was formed to take special charge of this work, and personnel from relevant departments were transferred to establish an office responsible for liaising with various localities, synthesizing information, supervising and inspecting, exchanging experiences, and answering questions. The conference emphasized the principle that tasks must be subordinate to policy, strengthening propaganda and education work, correctly implementing policies on the basis of raising the ideological consciousness of the broad cadres and masses, and guarding against deviations such as impatience, oversimplification, and coercion through commandism.