The Importance of Agriculture The development of agriculture and the balance between food and population are China’s fundamental economic problems. The classical histories praise emperors for devotion to agriculture and much of China’s modern history is (46) , which has been growing steadily. Today, although agriculture accounts for only a quarter of the Gross National Product, it is still the main determinant of the standard of living and the principal occupation of at least 70 percent of the population. Agriculture also (47) because industry needs both agricultural raw materials and food for its work force. The failure of agriculture to supply raw materials and food halted and later reversed the industrial progress of the 1950’s. After 1960 new emphasis was placed on agriculture, and the slogan “Agriculture is the foundation of the economy” has remained a central Chinese economic policy ever since. (48) , there is an indirect link due to the relationship between agriculture and foreign trade. Many of China’s exports are (49) or consumer goods based on them. Flourishing agriculture, therefore, promotes exports. It also reduces the need to spend foreign exchange on imports of grain and cotton, therefore (50) .