The Mao Zedong policy was intended to reduce traditional geographical, technical, economic or sociocultural inequalities in rural China. In spite of a certain improvment of the economic situation of agriculture (the reduction of the gap between farm prices and industrial prices) this goal-oriented policy has been a failure. The excessive favouring of cereal production has slowed down the overall growth of agriculture and restrained the dynamism of advanced rural branches without re,aity helping the poor units out of their underdevelopment. Mao's successors openly favour the development of these advanced branches. The result should be of overall benefit for Chinese agriculture which should continue to reduce its handicap towards industry. This improvment however, will have to pass through increasing inequalities and distorsions within the rural society.
