5-year plan for China's agricultural development.

The Chinese government's Five-Year Plan, 1996 - 2000, gives priority to agricultural development and creates opportunities for importing agricultural machinery into the country, according to Beijing Agricultural Engineering University. By the year 2000, China plans to establish 226 commodity grain and 130 quality cotton bases at a county level and an unspecified number of bases for staple and non-staple foods.

Although there is still a large labor force in many rural areas, there are large, sparsely-populated areas of China which would respond well to greater mechanization in crop production and distribution, the University reported. This would create a large market for large- and medium-sized tractors, small-sized and hand tractors, tillage machinery, motor-driven cultivation and crop protection equipment, self-propelled combine harvesters, byproduct processing machines, hydraulic accessories and seals for replacement and maintenance, machinery replacement parts, and attachments.