Grain imports are to be increased as policy-makers strive to ease
pressure on resources and the environment by a growing population
and quickening urbanization.
"The State and Outlook of China's Food Security" - a white paper
the country prepared for the 2002 World Food Summit - said Chinese
people's subsistence needs and food security are fully
guaranteed.
"Since the 1996 World Food Summit, the Chinese Government has made
tremendous efforts to ensure food security for the people," said
the document.
"However, there still exist some problems which cannot be
neglected."
Between 1996 and 2001, China's per capita grain and meat
availability approached 400 kilograms and 40 kilograms,
respectively, both exceeding the global average, according to the
policy paper obtained by China Daily Monday.
In
the coming 20 years, China will see an annual net population
increase of 10 million, while urbanization will expand at a rate of
up to 1 percent a year, stated the policy paper delivered at the
2002 summit, which opened Monday in Rome.
Chinese Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao is attending the four-day
gathering, which is expected to craft new plans to achieve the goal
of halving the number of people who suffer from hunger by 2015.
Population growth and an accelerated pace of urbanization in China
will further strain the relationship between population, resources
and environment, said the document.
"Given the rise in demand, a shortage of water and land resources
and degradation of the ecological environment, China will be faced
with a contradiction between population, resources and environment
in its efforts to ensure food security in the future," it
stated.
To
alleviate the pressure, China will fully utilize the opportunities
of trade liberalization to appropriately increase grain imports,
while sticking to its established policy of relying on domestic
resources to achieve basic food self-sufficiency, said the
document.
In
listing the policy support for national food security in China, the
white paper said the nation will continue to adjust domestic food
supply and demand through the international grain market.
The government will reform agricultural policies to make external
trade in agricultural products conform with relevant international
rules and its transparency will be increased, according to the
document.
It
also stated China is committed to maintaining basic farmland of no
less than 108.53 million hectares and cultivated land of at least
128 million hectares by 2005.
China will accelerate the process of establishing a
"from-land-to-table" quality control system, and make sure that
testing, inspection and certification of agricultural products for
international trade are carried out in compliance with the relevant
rules of the World Trade Organization, stated the document.
(China
Daily June 11, 2002)