Food security must never be relaxed at any time.

Recently, at a group discussion of the agriculture sector of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ren Zhengxiao, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Director of the National Food Administration, proposed that China's food security situation should be assessed scientifically and calmly, that the hard-won sound momentum in food production should be consolidated, and that the level of food quality and safety should be continuously raised, so that the Chinese people can truly hold their own rice bowls firmly in their hands, with those bowls filled with reassuring grain of their own.

Regarding the current state of China's food security, Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao believes that against the backdrop of eleven consecutive years of increased and bumper grain harvests, there is now a situation of “three highs superimposed” - high output, high procurement volume and high inventory. Some major grain-producing areas face enormous pressure in purchasing and storage, and certain varieties have seen temporary oversupply. However, we must absolutely not conclude from this that China has far more grain than it can handle, thereby relaxing grain production, neglecting grain circulation, and weakening the grain production capacity that we worked so hard to build. If grain production collapses, it cannot be restored in just a few years, and we must never forget this profound lesson we once learned. In fact, last year China's grain output was 12142 billion jin, the highest annual output in history, yet per capita grain availability was still less than 900 jin, only about one-third that of developed countries. So we truly cannot say we have too much grain. Therefore, the string of grain production must never be loosened, and safeguarding food security is always the top priority for governing the country and ensuring stability.

As for the currently high grain inventory, Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao analyzes that it is mainly due to the following factors: First, household grain storage has greatly decreased; second, grain market sales have long remained sluggish, with the situation of strong rice but weak milled rice and strong wheat but weak flour. For grain processing enterprises, storing more grain means losing money, so enterprises also do not store grain, and this portion of grain ultimately ends up pressed into state reserves; third, the state's floor policies of minimum purchase prices and temporary purchase and storage have caused some grain that should have been normally bought, sold and circulated in the market to also enter state reserves. Of course, the most important reason is the rare eleven consecutive years of growth in grain production. With production increasing year after year and procurement increasing year after year, grain inventory naturally accumulates, causing reserves to climb year after year.

Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao further analyzes that the feeling of there being too much grain on the market also lies in the following: On the one hand, domestic grain sales are sluggish. To avoid losses from grain sitting in warehouses, purchasing, selling and processing enterprises are eager to sell off existing inventory sources and are unwilling to purchase, store and handle more grain. This psychological factor, commonly present among enterprises, guided market expectations and created the impression of more and more grain on the market. On the other hand, there is the impact of grain imports and exports. Because China's grain prices have already become a “highland” in the international market, it is not only difficult to export, but also subject to the impact of low-priced grain imports on the domestic market. At present, taking rice as an example, after normal import and duty payment at port, the price per ton is 700 yuan lower than domestically produced rice of the same grade. If it is rice brought in through border trade or smuggling, the price per ton is about 1200 yuan lower, which means more than 6 mao lower per jin. Therefore, low-priced imported grain has created tremendous impact on the domestic market. Relevant state departments have reasonably and effectively controlled grain imports within quota, and efforts to combat grain smuggling have also achieved good results. However, the loose supply-demand relationship and extremely low market grain prices in the international market still have an amplifying effect on China's grain market supply and demand, strengthening the market expectation of abundant grain and falling prices. Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao believes that China's grain production and demand will remain in a tight balance for a long time to come. The current sluggish grain market and temporary oversupply in inventories are normal reflections of the market supply-demand relationship. As the macroeconomic environment and market demand improve, as the construction of national grain storage facilities accelerates, as the structure of grain varieties is adjusted and optimized, and especially as the effects of the state's grain macroeconomic regulation measures come into play, the grain market will return to a normal state, and the current “worry about too much” mentality among people will also ease accordingly.

⟦NL> Regarding the issue of grain quality, Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao believes that in recent years China's grain quality has been continuously improved. The rate of high-quality varieties of wheat, rice and corn is above 90%, and nutritious, healthy and safe grain and oil products have enriched urban and rural markets. Looking at rice, the quality of both northern japonica rice and southern indica rice is improving, and the quality of indica rice in particular is improving faster. Academician Yuan Longping once praised high-quality southern indica rice with the words “you can eat three bowls even without dishes.” Nowadays hybrid rice is not only high-yielding, but can also achieve high quality. In recent years, China has not only achieved stable and high grain output, but grain quality has also been rising rapidly. On this, we must have sufficient confidence. Foreign markets have high-priced high-quality rice, but in fact our domestic rice is not priced high, yet its quality is by no means inferior. Just as we do not need to cross the oceans to buy toilet lids abroad, in fact Chinese toilet lids are also quite good, and we must build up confidence in our national brands.

Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao emphasizes that grain is the most basic food and also the basic raw material for producing and processing other foods. Therefore, grain quality and safety are the source and foundation of all food safety. Ensuring grain quality and safety depends on a sound agricultural ecological environment for support. Only under conditions of good ecology and environmental safety can safe, reassuring and high-quality grain, oil products and agricultural products be produced.

Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao analyzes that at present China's grain and food safety situation is overall stable and improving, and efforts to remediate the agricultural ecological environment are also continuously intensifying. However, some places still place economic development above ecological environmental protection, and there are still phenomena such as a small number of enterprises directly discharging production waste, urban garbage being dumped directly into rural areas, and agricultural producers overusing high-residue substances. If these situations are allowed to develop unchecked, they will directly cause pollution and damage to arable land and water resources, and may even lead to excessive heavy metals in soil and water sources, bringing serious hidden dangers to grain and food safety.

In this regard, Committee Member Ren Zhengxiao suggests that the state should further adopt fundamental measures to govern the agricultural ecological environment in accordance with the law. First, environmental protection legislation should be strengthened. On the basis of strictly enforcing the Environmental Protection Law, supporting laws and regulations on the prevention and control of arable land and water resources should be formulated, and action plans for governance should be launched and implemented. Second, the main responsibility for environmental protection should be effectively implemented, legally compelling all enterprises and agricultural producers to vigorously save energy and reduce emissions, reduce agricultural pollution, and purify the agricultural production environment. Third, environmental law enforcement should be strict, truly ensuring that violations are prosecuted and enforcement is strict, so that those who wantonly destroy the agricultural ecological environment pay the price they deserve. Fourth, assessment and accountability should be strengthened, prompting local governments to truly perform their duties and act proactively, ensuring that in an environment of clear waters and green mountains, green land and blue sky, grain, oil products and agricultural products that give the public greater reassurance can be produced. Finally, and most importantly, it is hoped that the central and local governments will do their utmost to increase investment in environmental governance and environmental protection, so as to guide and encourage social capital to invest in environmental governance and ecological industries.