The so-called public grain refers to the grain that peasants pay to the state in agricultural production, including agricultural taxes and unified grain purchases. However, the general public often mistakenly thinks that public grain is only a small part of the contribution of farmers to the country. As a matter of fact, the agricultural tax included in the public grain is only a part of it, and more important is the unified purchase of grain that needs to be paid by the peasants. The unified purchase of grain is the state to purchase surplus grain from the peasants according to the lower **, this measure was voluntary in the early days, but later gradually evolved into mandatory. In order to collect more grain, in 1953 the policy of unified purchase and marketing was introduced, and the surplus grain in the hands of the peasants became collectively owned. Under this system, the peasants were required to pay agricultural taxes and purchase grain according to their tasks, and the rest was their own rations. This policy has enabled the state to ensure the food quality of urban residents and earn foreign exchange through exports, and has made a great contribution to the country's economic development.
As a part of the public grain, the agricultural tax is based on the annual output of farmers, accounting for about 15% of the output. On the other hand, the purchase rate of grain purchased by the unified grain is not fixed, reaching 70 percent at the peak. This means that farmers need to hand over most of their food to the state to support the country's urban food** and economic development. However, due to the rising demands of agricultural taxes and unified grain purchases, peasants are receiving less and less food rations, and their living burdens are becoming heavier and heavier. For many farmers, in addition to paying taxes and purchasing grain, they also have to pay for pesticides, fertilizers, seeds, etc., resulting in a significant reduction in their income. It can be seen that the contribution of farmers to the country is far greater than the general public realizes.
In addition to paying public rations, farmers also undertake many other contributions and voluntary work. In the past few decades, farmers have made a great contribution to the development of the country by investing a large amount of labor to build water conservancy projects, roads, factories, schools and other facilities, while providing their own food rations. In addition, many young and middle-aged farmers have joined factories, construction sites, service industries and other industries, creating immeasurable value for the country. The water conservancy projects, roads, factories, schools and other facilities built by these farmers without compensation have accumulated huge wealth and played an important role in the country's development.
With the advancement of reform and opening up and economic development, the proportion of agricultural taxes in the state's fiscal revenue has gradually decreased to less than 2%, which has become insignificant. However, the operation of grassroots organizations still depends on the overall retention and miscellaneous fees paid by farmers. In addition, with the process of urbanization, the concentration of education, medical and other resources, the burden of housing, pension, medical care and other aspects is also increasing. As a result, the burden on the peasants has not been lightened, but has been increasing. This has also led to tensions at the grassroots level and many confrontational incidents.
To sum up, the public grain donated by farmers is far more than what most people think. In addition to paying agricultural taxes and purchasing grain, farmers also have many other contributions and voluntary work. However, there are also some problems in the public grain system, such as the excessive reliance on farmers' contributions in grassroots organizations, resulting in excessive burdens on farmers. With the development of the economy and the abolition of agricultural taxes, the burden on farmers may have been reduced, but urbanization and the increase in the cost of living have brought new pressures. Therefore, the reform and optimization of the public grain system is still an important topic, which needs to be further studied and studied.