Reducing Grain Losses to Safeguard Food Security Is a Matter of Urgency

On the occasion of the arrival of the 24th National Grain-Loving and Grain-Saving Publicity Week, the State Administration of Grain stated today that our country's post-harvest grain loss and waste is very large, and the potential for saving and treasuring grain is enormous. According to estimates by relevant research institutions and experts, due to crude household grain storage facilities, spillage and loss during grain loading, unloading and transport, and excessive or extensive processing, the grain loss caused each year in our country amounts to at least more than 70 billion jin, equivalent to one year's rations for 200 million people. Among this, due to crude household grain storage containers and low levels of preservation technology, the grain loss rate caused by factors such as rodent damage, insect damage and mildew is about 8%, calculated as an annual loss of about 40 billion jin in the household grain storage stage. (People's Daily, October 10, 2014)

With grain in hand, the heart is not flustered. A nation cannot go a single day without grain, nor can a household go a single day without rice. The people regard food as heaven; grain is the foundation of human survival and development, and food security concerns not only the stability of a country but also world peace and stability. China is the most populous country in the world, and food security has always been one of the foremost strategic issues in China's economic and social development; the issue of food security has always been one of the important topics of concern and research for the Party and the government as well as experts and scholars. In recent years, the international grain market has tightened, and some countries and regions have even experienced relatively serious shortages; while in China, constrained by many factors such as the reduction of arable land area, post-harvest grain loss, and "waste on the tip of the tongue," the grain situation will remain in a state of "tight balance" for quite a period of time, and a moment's carelessness could give rise to food security problems. This has sounded the alarm for our country's food security issue and has also set requirements for our country to respond to the food security issue.

As is well known, the problem of grain shortage can cause serious consequences. The enormous quantity of grain wasted at the dining table in our country each year will not be discussed here for now; we should pay even more attention to the source of grain waste —— post-harvest grain loss. Therefore, "our country's annual post-harvest grain loss exceeds 70 billion jin, which is one year's rations for 200 million people." This problem has already become a challenge that cannot be ignored, arousing China's attention and vigilance. Responding to the challenge requires several good remedies.

Because I am not an expert or scholar on the issue of national food security, on the question of how to "change the current backward situation of rural grain storage and reduce post-harvest grain loss," I am not an encyclopedia but a layman. Yet though my position is low, I dare not forget to worry about my country. Food security is the responsibility of every ordinary person. In order to minimize post-harvest grain loss to the greatest extent and also enable the greatest majority of people to master grain storage management knowledge proficiently, this writer ventures to take the good remedy for "reducing post-harvest grain loss" prescribed by Comrade Zhao Yuan of the Grain Collection and Storage Company of Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province, and "spread it far and wide":

Although the degree of grain marketization is growing ever higher, most farming households in our country are still accustomed to storing grain themselves. At present, nearly 70% of our country's grain is stored in farming households' homes. Helping farming households do a good job in grain storage management and reducing post-harvest grain loss can not only directly benefit farming households and increase their income, but also is of great significance for improving the comprehensive grain production capacity and protecting national food security. To change the current backward situation of rural grain storage and reduce post-harvest grain loss, efforts should be made in the following five aspects. First, governments at all levels must attach importance to rural grain storage work. Over the years, governments at all levels have attached great importance to developing field grain production, and have listed the promotion and application of scientific farming management techniques and the raising of grain output as important indicators for assessing work performance. In fact, preserving farming households' grain well and reducing post-harvest loss is a harvest without cultivation and an increase in output without production. Therefore, post-harvest grain management should be treated as a major matter in rural work, and the quality of rural grain storage management work should be taken as one of the important indicators for measuring work performance. Second, strengthen publicity for rural grain storage work. Full use should be made of meetings, radio, television, newspapers, periodicals and special columns, etc., to vigorously publicize to the broad masses of farming households the serious current situation of rural grain storage loss and the great significance of doing a good job in loss reduction, so that the broad masses of farming households change their concepts and overcome from the bottom of their hearts the mistaken mentality of not attaching importance to post-harvest grain management. Third, the grain departments must be the main force in rural grain storage management and technical support. Helping farming households store grain well is an bounden duty and responsibility of the grain departments in rural work. The grain departments have decades of history in grain preservation, rich experience in grain storage, and abundant technical strength, and are fully capable of handling rural grain storage management and technical guidance work. It is necessary to strengthen technical training and consultation for farming households' grain storage, promote and apply safe grain storage science and technology for farming households, and provide good services for farming households in harvesting and drying and cleaning grain. State-owned grain enterprises should launch a "grain bank" business that helps farmers reduce losses and increase income, helps farmers avoid market risks, and promotes efficiency increases for grain business enterprises, providing convenience to farming households. Each grain management office (warehouse) should set up a farming household grain storage technical instructor, who year-round engages in rural grain storage technical guidance and prevention work. Fourth, improve and renew household safe grain storage containers. Fifth, establish and perfect rural grain storage management service organizations. Departments such as grain, science and technology, and agriculture, as well as townships and towns, must actively and closely cooperate to perfect and establish routine rural grain storage management service organizations.

What is wasted after harvest each year is now the rations of 200 million people. Against the current background of increasingly tight arable land resources and continuously rising population, grain loss reduction is especially important. Achieving increased production and income for farming households and the sustainable development of agriculture through loss reduction is of great significance for ensuring food security, and it has reached the point where it brooks no delay.