This document was carefully discussed once by the Secretariat. If deemed feasible, it may be forwarded to lower levels. Regarding heavy agricultural machinery such as tractors, the southern regions should give way to the northern regions; otherwise, the problem cannot be solved.
Mao Zedong
September 26, 1960
[!]
Tan Zhenlin,
at that time a 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]
refers to Tan Zhenlin’s report dated September 23, 1960, addressed to all members of the Political Bureau and the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, concerning the agricultural conditions in the five provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and Liaoning. The report stated: “These five provinces collectively possess 493.64 million mu of cultivated land, of which animal-powered cultivation accounts for 37 percent, mechanized farming for 8.1 percent, and manual labor for 55 percent. Nearly 40 percent of the tractors and irrigation equipment in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan are inoperable—some lack matching components, others spare parts, some are out of fuel, and still others have been damaged due to operators’ lack of skill. There is also a severe shortage of small farm tools commonly used by farmers, primarily because scrap metal has been collected for steel production, and the original handicraft cooperatives that manufactured these tools have since transformed into factories that no longer produce them. Therefore, we have decided to concentrate our efforts this winter and next spring on repairing and properly equipping existing machinery, as well as manufacturing large quantities of small farm tools. Simultaneously, we request that an additional 100,000 standard tractors be allocated to these five provinces over the next two years, aiming to replace manual plowing with mechanized farming and increase the area under machine cultivation from 8 percent to 49 percent. However, this number exceeds the originally planned allocation for these provinces by 32,500 units, necessitating a decision from the central authorities.” On October 7, the CPC Central Committee approved Tan Zhenlin’s report, noting that the aforementioned five provinces bear a heavy burden in producing steel, iron, and coal, and are also major cotton and peanut-producing regions. Given the substantial livestock losses over the past three years, the central leadership agreed to allocate 100,000 standard tractors within the next two years.

Forward to Fu Chun 1 1 1 for consideration.
[1]
Fu Chun, namely Li Fuchun,
at that time a 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.