Instructions on the Report Concerning the Vegetable Conference of Fourteen Cities
(June 9, 1959)

After Comrade Shaoqi has read it,
have Shangkun [3] send it out by telegram.

[1]
Liao Luyan, then Deputy Director of the Rural Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Agriculture.

[2]
On June 3, 1959, Liao Luyan submitted a report to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee, stating that a vegetable conference for 14 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, had been convened at the end of May. It was learned that the supply of vegetables in the cities remained strained, and the following tasks needed continued attention:
(1) The agricultural production policy for the near suburbs should "take vegetables as the key link."
(2) If the vegetable supply standard for urban residents can guarantee one jin per person per day, it can be considered very good.
(3) Attention must be paid to implementing urban vegetable production plans in terms of land, labor, transportation conditions, seeds, water sources, and other aspects.
(4) Urban commercial and agricultural departments should organize relevant parties to conclude contracts for the production, supply, and marketing of vegetables, jointly ensuring the supply of means of production according to the contracts.
(5) The number of personnel in vegetable supply agencies must not be too small.
(6) Specialized production bases must be organized for certain famous vegetables sold nationwide and for export.
(7) The production of pigs, chickens, geese, ducks, fish, and shrimp must be developed with all efforts.
On June 9, 1959, the Central Committee forwarded Liao Luyan's report to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, as well as the municipal Party committees of all large and medium-sized cities, pointing out that the opinions raised in the report were correct and expressing the hope that all localities would earnestly grasp the production of summer and autumn vegetables, grasp the production of non-staple foods, do a good job in production, supply, and marketing, and strive to ease the tense situation of urban non-staple food supply at an early date. Mao Zedong's instructions were written on this draft directive of the Central Committee.

[3]
Shangkun, namely Yang Shangkun, then Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.