April 23, 2014

China to maintain high grain output till 2023

China will maintain a high rate of self-sufficiency in major grain output and realise the food security target for the next decade, according to an official report.

The report, China Agricultural Outlook 2014-23, released by the Agricultural Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, predicts that China's annual output of three main crops - wheat, rice and corn - will hit 578 million tonnes in 2023, still keeping a high self-sufficiency rate.

By then, about 596 million tonnes of crops will be needed to feed the nation, data from the report showed. The United Nations has forecast that China's population will reach 1.4 billion by 2023.

Wheat output is expected to reach 127 million tonnes in 2023, and domestic demand will grow to 128 million tonnes, maintaining the self-sufficiency rate at 99%, the report said.

Corn output may continue to grow by an average annual rate of 1.3% over the next decade, reaching 247 million tonnes, it said.

Imports for meat and dairy products will see rising growth, while slower growth will be seen in soybean imports, Xu Shiwei, director of the Agricultural Information Institute said.

The report also mentioned that the 3.5% annual growth rate in domestic dairy production will exceed that of other major agricultural products in China in the 2014-2023 period.

With China's large population, the task of simply feeding the people remains a high priority, according to a statement issued after a central rural work conference attended by Chinese president Xi Jinping, premier Li Keqiang and other senior leaders last December.

China has set a red-line guarantee that arable land shall never shrink to less than 1.8 billion mu (120 million hectares). The line should be strictly followed, the statement stressed.