China's food supply a serious concern

Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a rural social work conference to discuss the so-called No. 1 Document for next year. The key question is how ensure food security. Mainland media did not mention the previous objective of continuously increasing the food supply. Why did the CCP's strategic objective of its No. 1 Document switch from a focus on the Three Agricultural Problems to place emphasis on the grain production problem? Let's look at the reports. Under such a premise, next year's No. 1 Document will adjust the self-sufficient rate of wheat, rice and corn. Three major pieces of data being discussed are basic rations, which would have a self-sufficiency rate of 100 percent, cereals, for which the self-sufficiency rate remains above 90 percent, and China's grain, whereby the overall self- sufficiency remained above 80 percent for the long-term. CCP media rarely mentions slogans such as "continuously increase the food supply in 11 years" nor mentions "China can rely on itself to achieve food self-sufficiency." According to the "national food security and long-term strategy (2008-2020)", China's grain self-sufficiency rate is required to be at least 95 percent. But Mainland "Economic Observer" news media outlet quoted customs statistics that claimed that in 2012 China's grain imports reached 72.36 million tons which is equivalent to 12 percent of China's annual grain output. The latest customs statistics of 2013 show China's soybean imports reached 6 million tons in November, a record high during the month of November over the years. The total soybean imports in the first 11 months were 56 million tons, an increase of 7 percent. Statistics also show that wheat imports in October of this year increased 273 percent, a 16 percent increase from last year. Mainland "Finance" magazine quoted data from the research department of China's imported farm products which relayed that the quantity of grain, cotton and oil imports in 2010 was equivalent to about 700 million mu's of foreign cultivated land, which is the size of the entire Heilongjiang province. Chinese national agricultural expert Mr. Wu: "This is a social problem. Nobody cultivates the land or raises cows; they all go to work in city. Nobody labors in the village." Chinese national agricultural expert Mr. Wu said there are two reasons that China lacks in grain production. The first is that officials and businessmen import from the United States, Brazil and other countries at a cheaper price, which has affected farmers' enthusiasm for farming. The second reason according to Mr. Wu is that technology management and technical personel are not used. Agricultural managers are corrupt and only consider money, which has resulted in an agriculture imbalance, he says. If people can't afford to eat the unique traditional Chinese staple -- millet -- there might be management issues. Mr. Wu also believes that rural meetings are not held in the countryside; no farmers attend, only officials are present. With this, how can food security be guaranteed! On Nov. 28, general secretary of the CCP Xi Jinping said during a speech at a forum at the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences that the "heart doesn't panic with food in hand." He also said that money is useless once a great famine takes place. It is rumored that the "father of hybrid rice" in China, Yuan Longping, commented on the Internet that China's biggest disaster can't be avoided. The article cited ten reasons the Chinese food crisis would not be avoided and could erupt at any time. Yuan Longping pointed out that although China faces many social crises, such as politics, economy, religion, and territory, the food crisis is urgent. Once people are out of food or short of food, everything will vanish including government. Mr Wu: "If any major famine takes place, there would be unrest and farmers would revolt. Throughout history, peasant uprisings and revolt all happened after famine." However, the "famine crisis" has a different meaning. Continental agricultural researcher: "The key is whether we are with the world or against the world. We are currently against the world. If we are with the world, and in line with the global trend, we can have normal transaction. As long as there is no food crisis in the world, it is not a problem for us." A Mainland agricultural researcher who wished to remain anonymous believes that if China can adapt the international standard, the food crisis won't be a big problem. Mr Wu pointed out that a famine is bad for China, but can also be used for the good, as it will force social reform.