Huang Chung-jen, deputy chairman of the United Overseas Chinese Cooperative at Hai Yen farm, declares that prior to 1986, the overseas Chinese farm was in exactly the same position as the rural villages in the hinterland. Because everyone ate from the same rice bowl and you could not improve your diet by added labor, there was no incentive to produce more and production reached an all-time low.
海宴農場僑聯會副主席黃忠仁指出，一九八六年前，華僑農場和內地農村一樣，由於是吃「大鍋飯」，多幹也這麼吃、少幹也這麼吃，沒有激勵生產的誘因，因此產值低落，一片凋敝。