Food security sparks heated debate: Experts warn of hidden concerns after twelve consecutive years of growth

“China's grain production has enjoyed a bumper harvest for twelve consecutive years, with annual output reaching about 120 billion jin, but hidden concerns about food security 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 at the event.

At the National High-end Forum on Investment and Innovation in Major Grain-producing Counties, hosted here by the China Well-off Society Construction Research Association, some agricultural experts, including Wang Julu, generally expressed concern about stabilizing grain output and increasing incomes 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 we must further strengthen the building of grain production capacity.” Chen Mengshan, secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, believed that after China's grain output achieved consecutive years of growth, some localities and departments have shown signs of neglecting grain production and reducing agricultural investment. In particular, since the beginning of autumn, prices of corn and wheat in China's grain-producing areas have fallen to varying degrees, which has affected farmers' enthusiasm and willingness to plant grain next year.

Duan Yingbi, president of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, issued a warning about food security from the perspective of historical lessons. He believed 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 “keep output down”, resulting in two situations of reduced grain output.

Experts at the meeting believed 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 capacity and investment building in China's major grain-producing counties.

Experts believed that to stabilize current grain production capacity, improving the 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 and strengthen support for major grain-producing counties, ultimately achieving the consolidation and improvement of the country's grain production capacity. Text/Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Yu

(According to a Xinhua News Agency dispatch from Beijing dated December 13)