Hidden food security concerns behind twelve consecutive years of grain output growth spark heated discussion among agricultural experts
China's grain production has achieved bumper harvests for twelve consecutive years, with annual output reaching about 120 billion jin, but hidden food security concerns will not be completely eliminated because of this, and one should think of danger in times of peace. Wang Julu, president of the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association, said here. At the national major grain-producing counties investment and innovation high-end forum held here and hosted by the China
“China's grain production has achieved bumper harvests for twelve consecutive years, with annual output reaching about 120 billion jin, but hidden food security concerns will not be completely eliminated because of this, and one should think of danger in times of peace.” Wang Julu, president of the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association, said here.
At the national major grain-producing counties investment and innovation high-end forum held here and hosted by the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association, some agricultural experts, including Wang Julu, generally expressed concern about stabilizing grain output and increasing income in the future.
“China's grain production has achieved ‘twelve consecutive years of growth’, and this achievement has not come easily. But we must also be vigilant against the current tendency to neglect grain production and must further strengthen the building of grain production capacity.” Chen Mengshan, Party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believes that after China's grain output achieved consecutive years of growth, some localities and departments have shown emerging tendencies to neglect grain production and reduce agricultural investment. In particular, since the beginning of autumn, corn and wheat prices in China's grain-producing areas have shown declines to varying degrees, which has already affected farmers' enthusiasm and willingness to grow grain next year.
“At present, international market grain prices have begun to rise. If farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain declines further, and if factors that suppress grain growth such as natural disasters appear again, it is highly likely to reverse the current sound momentum of China's grain production, and we should pay close attention to this.” Chen Mengshan said.
Duan Yingbi, president of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, then issued a warning about food security from the perspective of historical lessons. He believes that China's agricultural production is currently undergoing its third round of structural adjustment since reform and opening up. Although the previous two structural adjustments achieved certain results, they sent farmers the signal to “suppress output”, resulting in two situations of grain production decline.
Data show that in 1985 China carried out its first agricultural structural adjustment, after which grain output stagnated for five consecutive years, ultimately causing insufficient supply and consecutive rises in grain prices. Starting in 1998, China's grain production underwent a second structural adjustment, farmers' willingness to grow grain declined again, and the grain sown area decreased for 6 consecutive years. In 2003, when the country experienced sustained high temperatures and severe weather disasters, national grain output fell sharply that year.
Experts at the meeting believe that to consolidate the foundation of food security and firmly hold the Chinese people's rice bowl in their own hands, special attention must be paid to the production capacity and investment construction of China's major grain-producing counties.
A research report recently released by the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association states that among China's 800 major grain-producing counties, which account for nearly three-quarters of the country's total grain output, more than 100 are national-level poverty-stricken counties, with a poor population of 36 million. Some major grain-producing counties are also economically poor counties and financially small counties, and the phenomenon of “grain-finance inversion” between grain output and county-level fiscal capacity is very obvious.
Experts believe that to stabilize current grain production capacity, improving the production capacity of major grain-producing counties is key. However, relying on the self-owned funds and self-accumulation of major grain-producing counties to achieve this goal is relatively difficult. It is necessary to consider innovation in the investment system, strengthen support for major grain-producing counties, and ultimately consolidate and improve the country's grain production capacity.
“Grain is a typical public social product. Market means alone cannot solve the problem of capital investment, but relying on state investment is far from enough. This requires giving full play to the role of the government and the market as the ‘two hands’, mobilizing the enthusiasm of all parties, accelerating innovation in relevant mechanisms, and building an investment and financing system for China's food security in the new era.” Han Yijun, director of the Institute of Agricultural Trade and Industrial Policy at the China Rural Policy Research Center, suggested that while increasing fiscal support for major grain-producing provinces and counties, it is also necessary to actively guide some enterprises to cooperate with large grain-growing households and family farms through funds, finance and other means, and bring social forces into grain investment and construction.
At the national major grain-producing counties investment and innovation high-end forum held here and hosted by the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association, some agricultural experts, including Wang Julu, generally expressed concern about stabilizing grain output and increasing income in the future.
“China's grain production has achieved ‘twelve consecutive years of growth’, and this achievement has not come easily. But we must also be vigilant against the current tendency to neglect grain production and must further strengthen the building of grain production capacity.” Chen Mengshan, Party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believes that after China's grain output achieved consecutive years of growth, some localities and departments have shown emerging tendencies to neglect grain production and reduce agricultural investment. In particular, since the beginning of autumn, corn and wheat prices in China's grain-producing areas have shown declines to varying degrees, which has already affected farmers' enthusiasm and willingness to grow grain next year.
“At present, international market grain prices have begun to rise. If farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain declines further, and if factors that suppress grain growth such as natural disasters appear again, it is highly likely to reverse the current sound momentum of China's grain production, and we should pay close attention to this.” Chen Mengshan said.
Duan Yingbi, president of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, then issued a warning about food security from the perspective of historical lessons. He believes that China's agricultural production is currently undergoing its third round of structural adjustment since reform and opening up. Although the previous two structural adjustments achieved certain results, they sent farmers the signal to “suppress output”, resulting in two situations of grain production decline.
Data show that in 1985 China carried out its first agricultural structural adjustment, after which grain output stagnated for five consecutive years, ultimately causing insufficient supply and consecutive rises in grain prices. Starting in 1998, China's grain production underwent a second structural adjustment, farmers' willingness to grow grain declined again, and the grain sown area decreased for 6 consecutive years. In 2003, when the country experienced sustained high temperatures and severe weather disasters, national grain output fell sharply that year.
Experts at the meeting believe that to consolidate the foundation of food security and firmly hold the Chinese people's rice bowl in their own hands, special attention must be paid to the production capacity and investment construction of China's major grain-producing counties.
A research report recently released by the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association states that among China's 800 major grain-producing counties, which account for nearly three-quarters of the country's total grain output, more than 100 are national-level poverty-stricken counties, with a poor population of 36 million. Some major grain-producing counties are also economically poor counties and financially small counties, and the phenomenon of “grain-finance inversion” between grain output and county-level fiscal capacity is very obvious.
Experts believe that to stabilize current grain production capacity, improving the production capacity of major grain-producing counties is key. However, relying on the self-owned funds and self-accumulation of major grain-producing counties to achieve this goal is relatively difficult. It is necessary to consider innovation in the investment system, strengthen support for major grain-producing counties, and ultimately consolidate and improve the country's grain production capacity.
“Grain is a typical public social product. Market means alone cannot solve the problem of capital investment, but relying on state investment is far from enough. This requires giving full play to the role of the government and the market as the ‘two hands’, mobilizing the enthusiasm of all parties, accelerating innovation in relevant mechanisms, and building an investment and financing system for China's food security in the new era.” Han Yijun, director of the Institute of Agricultural Trade and Industrial Policy at the China Rural Policy Research Center, suggested that while increasing fiscal support for major grain-producing provinces and counties, it is also necessary to actively guide some enterprises to cooperate with large grain-growing households and family farms through funds, finance and other means, and bring social forces into grain investment and construction.