November 22, 2007

China to remain 95 percent self-sufficient in grain 

National Development and Reform Commission said that China would remain 95 percent self-sufficient in grain by expanding both output and reserves.

Fang Yan, deputy director of the Department of the Rural Economy, announced during a conference on edible oil held in Guangzhou that domestic supply of grain is currently sufficient but would fall short of demand in the long term. He did not clarify how long the period would be. 

Fand explained that China would boost large-scale production rather than production by scattered small farms during the 2006-2010 period. This strategy would ensure adequate supply and improve the quality of farm produce.

Large production bases would be built to raise the country's production capacity of staple agricultural products, according to Fang.

China has been over 95 percent self-sufficient in grain in the last 10 years, with output on the rise from 2004-2006. National reserves were up 150 million tonnes last year, said Vice Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie.

However, the Study Times, a newspaper affiliated to the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reported that China faced the possibility of a 4.8-million-tonne grain shortage in 2010, almost 9 percent of the country's grain consumption.

The domestic supply of grain would be insufficient for the next 15 years according to Study Times.