February 15, 2012

China aims to produce 540-million-tonne food by 2015

The State Council of China has announced an agricultural development medium-term plan, which sets a target of producing 540 million tonnes of food in 2015.

An urbanised and industrialised society needs China to produce enough food. China produced 500 million tonnes of grain in 2010. In 2011, the country produced 1.14 trillion catties (one catty = half a kilogramme) of food, making a five-year straight record of producing over one trillion catties of food each year.

In the agricultural development five-year plan 2011-2015, the government has listed five targets which include ensuring food safety and self-sufficiency. The government insists on protecting farmland and improving agricultural basic infrastructure, which will help the country keep food production capacity, stabilise market supply, stock reserve and adjust market demand and supply. In 2015, the agricultural industry will have a stronger ingredient and production capacity of food will increase.

The quality of products, land yield, labour employed and use of resources will be lifted. Modern agricultural development will be seen in eastern coastal provinces, suburban areas of major cities, and farming districts that have better conditions. In its No.1 Document of 2012, the Chinese government has given modernising and industrialising agricultural development the highest priority.

China will try to stabilise production of grain, cotton, oilseeds and sugar crops in the 2011-15 period mainly by securing planting area and enhancing unit yields, according to the national development plan for modern agriculture.

The plan targets grain production capacity of more than 540 million tonnes and grain planting area of over 107 million hectares by 2015.

The country's annual cotton output is expected to exceed seven million tonnes by 2015 and the production of oilseeds and sugar crops to surpass 35 million tonnes and 140 million tonnes respectively.

Meanwhile, the nation will continue to raise investment in agriculture over that period and improve subsidy policies for crops planting.

China will optimise regulative mechanism for the farm produce market, steadily increase minimum purchase prices for paddy and wheat, and improve stockpiling policies for corn, soy, rapeseed and cotton, the plan says.