Journalists have recently found that Sinograin storage managers in Liaoning and Jilin provinces have been embezzling public funds by conspiring with illegal grain merchants to put cheaper, previously harvested grain in storage but paying the price of freshly harvested grain to merchants. Comments:

Reports show that the trick is common in these provinces; therefore what is needed is to not only probe the cases and punish the responsible officials, but also improve the management of national grain storage. Currently the industry is monopolized by Sinograin, which operates in a black box without any external supervision. Why not learn from developed countries and allow non-SOEs, social organizations, even farmers, to store surplus grain, and purchase the grains from them when needed? The State can set an upper limit to their prices to protect public interests. That will break the monopoly and nip corruption at the root.

Beijing News, April 19