November 30, 2012

China's grain crop to rise for nine straight years

As its output is set to rise this year, China's grain production will increase for nine consecutive years.

This is according to an official at the Caijing Annual Conference on Thursday (Nov 29).

Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Leading Group on Rural Work under the Central Committee of Communist Party of China, made the comments when speaking about grain security at the two-day conference in Beijing, which closes on Thursday (Nov 29).

Chen said that urbanisation will be the engine that drives growth, but that the country has to guarantee grain security and supplies of important agricultural products with further expansion of urban areas.

He said that almost half of the world's exports of soy will be shipped to China this year. Also, China has been the net import country of wheat, rice and corn, with total grain imports exceeding 60 million tonnes.

China has to continue to protect its arable land and boost agricultural productivity as its economic growth has outstripped the expansion of agriculture, according to Chen.

Chen said that with influx of rural residents into cities, the country has to pay close attention to the mobile population's shift of food demand as their lifestyles are also changing.

China's urbanisation of land, according to Chen, is much faster than the urbanisation of population, which has left many rural residents living in limbo. It has to utilise its land more efficiently and better safeguard farmers' legitimate rights through future reform, Chen said.