Comments on the Report (1)
(July 10, 1959)

Print and distribute to all comrades for discussion. Also send by telegram to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions.

Mao Zedong
July 10

[1]
This report, submitted by the Party Group of the Ministry of Agriculture to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on June 29, 1959, states that a preparatory meeting for winter planting was convened from June 23 to 26, with the participation of 14 provinces and municipalities that have relatively large winter planting tasks, including Hebei and Shanghai. The meeting pointed out:

(1) The total national wheat output in 1959 is estimated at 70 billion jin, equal to or slightly more than the actual output in 1958, and an increase of about 50% compared with 1957. This demonstrates that China’s agricultural production is capable of continuous leaps forward.

(2) The winter sowing area in 1959 is required to basically recover to the level of 1957, and every effort should be made to break through the 100-billion-jin mark for total wheat output in 1960.

(3) All localities are required, within July and the first half of August, to finalize the plans for sowing winter wheat and other crops after this year’s autumn harvest. Both the acreage and the output must be assigned to the units responsible for contracted production.

(4) Based on the preliminary experience with close planting of wheat this year, all provinces and municipalities attending the meeting have proposed a range of seeding rates with considerable flexibility for this year’s winter wheat sowing.

(5) Emphasis was placed on making thorough preparations before winter sowing.

(6) In some southern localities where insufficient attention is paid to wheat and other mutually harvested crops, it is suggested that the local leadership earnestly take a firm hold of the matter. In addition, attention should also be paid to strengthening leadership, adopting the work method of the mass line, and actively leading the peasants to continue the leap forward on the basis of last year in a practical and realistic manner.

On July 10, the Central Committee forwarded this report to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions.