Report on Agricultural Production Issues [with Mao's annotations]
(January 25, 1959)

For Comrade Xiaoping's review.
Distribute to all comrades attending the meeting.
Mao Zedong
January 25

[1]
Tan Zhenlin, then member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier of the State Council.

[2]
In this report to Mao Zedong dated January 24, 1959, Tan Zhenlin stated that the dissemination and discussion of the resolutions of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth CPC Central Committee had reached the county level in various localities, and pilot work on commune rectification had been widely carried out. Although various difficulties and chaotic phenomena had emerged in the countryside, it was estimated that after four to five months of rectification, everything would return to normal. As long as we do not allow the people's communes to collapse, they will absolutely not collapse. This year's agricultural production tasks are extremely arduous, and there must be absolutely no complacency or negligence. At present, views on reducing sown areas are not yet consistent across localities, and in some places the pace of reducing sown areas has been somewhat too rapid. I believe that without achieving high yields, it is not appropriate to reduce sown areas excessively. This year's agricultural production upsurge has not yet taken shape, the propaganda of the Sixth Plenary Session resolutions is still not forceful enough, and overcoming false reporting and boasting has "overcome" many effective leadership methods—this is the greatest danger. As for the tense labor situation, it will continue this year, but may improve somewhat through rational arrangements. The distribution work for 1958 has not yet been done well, which has a significant impact on the masses' enthusiasm for production. After the atmosphere was dampened, the phenomenon of underreporting output for private distribution has now occurred, increasing the difficulties of distribution work. It will still require a period of effort to do it well. When reviewing this report, Mao Zedong made revisions to individual words and phrases.

[3]
Xiaoping, i.e., Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

[4]
Refers to the meeting of Party secretaries of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions then being held in Beijing.