Grain pricing in the Huanghuaihai Plain based on green accounting

Based on the theory of ecology and economics, resources depletion and environmental degradation due to grain production were comprehensively accounted and the full cost of grain production was analyzed. The cost of grain production in Quzhou County, Hebei Province, an alluvial area in the Huanghuaihai Plain, was investigated using the methods of market price, replacement price, shadow engineering, opportunity cost, and so on to estimate the cost of grain production. A green accounting model for the cost of grain production was constructed and theoretical price of grain was discussed deeply. Results showed that the theoretical price of grain in the region was 1.90 Yuan-kg^-1 for wheat and 1.45 Yuan-kg^-1 for corn in 2008, in which the resource-environmental prices for the crops were 0.50 Yuan-kg^-1 and 0.43 Yuan-kg^-1, respectively. However, the actual price was 1.62 Yuan-kg^-1 for wheat and 1.38 Yuan-kg^-1 for corn. The current actual price of grain in the region can not reflect the resource-environmental cost of grain production. A reasonable grain price mechanism of compensation for the use of resources and environment must be built to promote the development of regional economic life and the harmony between man and nature.