"I reckon that in ten to twenty years, a third to half the farmland in our township will be planted with cotton." Li Long's very first remark took Jiang Zhiyu completely by surprise.
"How is that possible?" Jiang Zhiyu countered instinctively. "People have only just secured enough food and clothing and started moving toward a comfortable life. Surely grain farming will remain dominant?"
At least for now, most of the commune's farmland was planted with various grain crops.
The public grain quota was still relatively heavy, and grain yields were relatively low at this time. To meet that quota and have enough left over to feed the whole family well, most of the farmland had to be devoted to grain.
Besides, almost every rural household raised chickens and pigs, and those animals needed grain too, so people certainly had to plant some coarse grains. They couldn't rely entirely on pigweed, after all. It was fine for varying the feed, but pigs wouldn't put on weight eating nothing else.
"Officer Jiang, have you noticed that our farmers' grain yields have been rising year by year?" Li Long shifted to another topic. "Better seeds, more chemical fertilizer, and large stretches of wasteland being reclaimed are increasing grain output. In the future, grain production won't depend solely on piling on more acreage."
"That's true." Jiang Zhiyu handled publicity for the township, so she certainly knew about that.
"Once people have enough to eat and can meet their public grain quotas and retentions, what do they think about next? Getting rich, of course." Li Long smiled. "Haven't several of our national congresses said it? Focus on economic development, and let those who prosper first help others prosper.
"People are determined to get rich now, but how do they do it? Farmers still have to