August 27, 2010

China strengthens grain safety measures

China is enacting various measures, such as increasing its annual grain harvest and creating new grain safety legislation, to ensure a food-secure society, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said.

NDRC minister Zhang Ping on Thursday (Aug 26) said China would increase its grain output capacity to an annual yield of 550 million tonnes by 2020, which would be a rise in output from 530.8 million tonnes in 2009.

The country would further strengthen its grain production capacity, by means such as improving infrastructure construction, especially the farmland irrigation system, expanding the use of fine breed and high-productivity technology, improve farming methods and upgrading the farming industry's ability to resist disasters.

China's grain demand is expected to reach 572.5 million tonnes by 2020, and to maintain a food self-sufficiency rate of 95%, at least 540 million tonnes of grain would be needed by then, he said.

The NDRC and other food administrative agencies were working together in a draft law on food and grain.

According to Zhang, China has established a preliminary emergency response system for grain safety, strengthening the production, storage, transportation and distribution of food and grain during emergency situations.