農村改革已功成 深化改革堪期待

<轉載自2018年11月12日 明報 社評>

40年前的11月，安徽省一個窮鄉僻壤小村莊的18名村民，簽下一份將田地分到每家每戶的「生死狀」，揭開了中國農村改革的序幕。40年來，雖然農村改革仍然不斷有新猷，村民生活也有很大改善，但還沒有到可以大書特書的地步。40年前從下到上推動改革的精神，而今改革由中央大包大攬，改革的動力如何再次激活，值得探討。

昔日從下而上推改革 如今改革由中央包攬

小崗村日前紀念改革開放40周年，人們重溫當年的改革精神。「我們分田到戶，每戶戶主簽字蓋章，如以後能幹，每戶保證完成每戶的全年上繳和公糧，不再向國家伸手要錢要糧，我們幹部坐牢割頭也甘心，大家社員也保證把我們的小孩養活到18歲。」這份由農民壓下指印的生死狀，是對不符合人民意願，也不符合中國實際情况的公社制的私下抗議，豁出去把田分掉，甚至還預設可能遭到制裁而將孩子託孤給同村村民。與其說是改革精神，倒不如說是走投無路的絕處求生。

小崗村的村民有如此無比的勇氣，也是逼出來的。該村土地貧瘠，遇到饑荒就外出討飯。公社制把土地都收攏到生產隊，社員的積極性下降，到了1978年，人人捱餓，家家饑荒，他們認為，只有分田到戶單幹才能活命，所以才有了上面的託孤誓言，結果第二年就取得了基本溫飽。這樣的做法，準確的說法，應該是抗命，中央承認他們的做法，將之合理化而稱之為改革。當然，也應該看到，其時中央順應民意，藉此推廣到全國執行，解決了農民的基本溫飽問題。

分田到戶能夠提高生產力，改革只不過是消除窒礙生產力的阻力，但並不表示分田到戶是提高生產力的最好辦法，事實證明，分田到戶的做法只能解決溫飽問題，小崗村以至全國的農民，在改革十多二十年之後，仍然處於貧困的狀態，農村苦、農民窮、農業不發達的問題，仍然困擾着中國。到了2003年，國家的財政狀况稍微寬裕，宣布了中國歷史上第一次免除所有的農業稅，農民才可以減輕負擔。

農民免除稅賦，加上國家為農村架橋鋪路，為農產品銷售提供方便，農民的收入確實增加了不少，然而，農民還是沒有富起來，因為農民各自擁有一塊小面積的土地，無法實施機械化，農民的技術落後，也無從改良品種以提高生產力。即使有投資者願意以集約化生產經營的模式發展農業，也會由於土地不能兼併而望而卻步。2014年，國家實施允許農村土地在一定範圍內自由買賣，這項改革，讓農村吸收外來投資成為可能。

再以小崗村為例，目前該村的土地，六成已經流轉起來，有外來的農墾集團投資，這是農村改革的一大良策，日後如何繼續壯大，有待觀之。然而，解決了農民手裏的土地能夠有效使用，是否能夠保證農民出賣了土地得到一筆過的收入，或者出租土地，以後只能收取微薄的租金，農民成為集團化經營的農業公司的僱員，而最終利益不能得到保證，這才是關係到農民能不能富起來的關鍵。

農民富起來，依靠自身的能力是不足夠的，因為他們先天的教育和知識有限，妨礙了他們掌握技術甚至對現代化的想像力，這有待幾代人的努力改善教育與農村條件才能改變；然而，即使農民掌握了知識與技術，也會因為缺乏貸款能力，缺乏保險公司為他們提供風險管理，缺乏育種公司的有效服務等等因素，而不能憑實力富起來，這些都有待政府的政策扶持才能有效實施，在目前缺乏各種發展要素的時候，更加需要政府把他們組織起來，將股份公司完善起來，聚攏資金和管理技術，幫助農民自身發展，而不是完全依靠外來投資。

中國經過40年的改革，的確造就了不少成功的例子，但目前似乎走到一個關頭，因為中央成立了各種改革的領導小組，將改革巨細無遺的事情統攬於一身，下級官員少做少錯，不做不錯，萬事都在等待中央的指令。中央對於改革當然要謹慎，通過試點總結經驗與教訓，才能制訂萬全之策，然而，全國差異巨大，要找出通用全國的做法，改革必然是滯後的。

萬全改革做法必然滯後 何不鼓勵官民勇於創新

小崗村村民40年前的抗命做法，不能稱之為改革，但起碼是改革從下而上的動力，而今政府以至國企壟斷國家的資源，允許小地方、小範圍勇於嘗試的空間很小。民營企業的經營環境經歷長時間的困難，雖然未至於當年小崗村的村民要捱餓的境地，但前景黯淡，這才能引起中央的注視，由總書記習近平宣布要扶持民營企業，但具體的政策和做法，還是需要官員去設計周詳的萬全之策。這樣從上而下的改革模式，並非最有效的辦法，何不鼓勵底層的企業、官員充分發揮改革的精神，勇於嘗試和創新，為改革增添新的動力。

Reform in villages

IN November forty years ago, eighteen villagers living in a rural backwater in Anhui Province signed a responsibility statement that apportioned land to every household, thus opening the first chapter of reform in Chinese villages.

In Xiaogang village, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of Reform and Opening Up the other day, people are reminiscing about the old spirits of reform. So barren was the land in the village that its people sallied forth and begged for food whenever there was a famine. Under the system of people's communes, all land was assigned to production teams, leading to decreasing levels of enterprise on the part of members of people's communes. By 1978 everyone had been starving, as famine had been everywhere. People believed that only by apportioning land to households could they survive.

The practice of apportioning land to households increased productivity. By "reform" it was merely meant the removal of obstacles in the way of productivity. This, however, does not mean that the practice was the best way of enhancing productivity. The fact is that the practice only enabled people to dress warmly and eat their fill. Farmers in Xiaogang Village as well as across China remained destitute one or two decades into the reform. China was still plagued by the problems of hardships in villages, poverty among farmers and low levels of agricultural technologies. It was only in 2003, when our country's finances were less tight, that agricultural taxes were eliminated fully for the first time in the history of China. That relieved the burden on farmers.

The elimination of the tax burden and the national government's building of infrastructure in villages (which made it easier to sell agricultural products) did increase the incomes of farmers significantly. However, farmers did not become affluent. That was because they each owned a plot of land so small that mechanisation was not possible. The backwardness of agricultural technologies made it impossible to improve the crops to enhance productivity. Even had there been investors willing to develop agriculture through intensive production means, they would have been discouraged by the impossibility of combining different plots of land. In 2014, the national government allowed the free trade of land in villages within a certain scope. The reform made it possible for villages to attract investments from outside.

Take Xiaogang Village again. Currently 60% of its land can be traded freely, and some agricultural groups from outside have invested in it. This is a major, sound policy. It remains to be seen how the policy will be stepped up in the future. However, when it comes to whether farmers can get rich, it still hinges on the several questions. Will their land, having been made possible to be used effectively, ensure that the farmers can receive a one-off sum after the sale? Or will the farmers just receive a paltry rent after leasing out their land and become an employee of an agricultural company run as part of a conglomerate, so much so their ultimate interests cannot be guaranteed?

Forty years into reform in China, many success stories have indeed be written. But now the reform seems to have reached another stage. This is because the central government has established leading groups for all kinds of reform, taking over all responsibilities of the reform that are either significant or minute. Low-ranking officials take orders from the central government for every matter in the belief that "the less they do, the less mistakes they make" and that "no mistakes will be made if they do nothing". True, the central government must tread carefully when it comes to reform. After all, only by drawing lessons from its pilot schemes can it formulate well-thought-out policies. However, given the substantial discrepancies between different parts of China, the attempt to find a practice applicable to the whole country will inevitably result in reform that is behind the times.

農村改革已功成 深化改革堪期待

40年前的11月，安徽省一個窮鄉僻壤小村莊的18名村民，簽下一份將田地分到每家每戶的「生死狀」，揭開了中國農村改革的序幕。

小崗村日前紀念改革開放40周年，人們重溫當年的改革精神。該村土地貧瘠，遇到饑荒就外出討飯。公社制把土地都收攏到生產隊，社員的積極性下降，到了1978年，人人捱餓，家家饑荒，他們認為，只有分田到戶單幹才能活命。

分田到戶能夠提高生產力，改革只不過是消除窒礙生產力的阻力，但並不表示分田到戶是提高生產力的最好辦法，事實證明，分田到戶的做法只能解決溫飽問題，小崗村以至全國的農民，在改革十多二十年之後，仍然處於貧困的狀態，農村苦、農民窮、農業不發達的問題，仍然困擾着中國。到了2003年，國家的財政狀况稍微寬裕，宣布了中國歷史上第一次免除所有的農業稅，農民才可以減輕負擔。

農民免除稅賦，加上國家為農村架橋鋪路，為農產品銷售提供方便，農民的收入確實增加了不少，然而，農民還是沒有富起來，因為農民各自擁有一塊小面積的土地，無法實施機械化，農民的技術落後，也無從改良品種以提高生產力。即使有投資者願意以集約化生產經營的模式發展農業，也會由於土地不能兼併而望而卻步。2014年，國家實施允許農村土地在一定範圍內自由買賣，這項改革，讓農村吸收外來投資成為可能。

再以小崗村為例，目前該村的土地，六成已經流轉起來，有外來的農墾集團投資，這是農村改革的一大良策，日後如何繼續壯大，有待觀之。然而，解決了農民手裏的土地能夠有效使用，是否能夠保證農民出賣了土地得到一筆過的收入，或者出租土地，以後只能收取微薄的租金，農民成為集團化經營的農業公司的僱員，而最終利益不能得到保證，這才是關係到農民能不能富起來的關鍵。

中國經過40年的改革，的確造就了不少成功的例子，但目前似乎走到一個關頭，因為中央成立了各種改革的領導小組，將改革鉅細無遺的事情統攬於一身，下級官員少做少錯，不做不錯，萬事都在等待中央的指令。中央對於改革當然要謹慎，通過試點總結經驗與教訓，才能制訂萬全之策，然而，全國差異巨大，要找出通用全國的做法，改革必然是滯後的。