China has managed to maintain adequate food supplies despite a
downturn in grain production over years, research by the State Food
and Nutrition Consultative Commission (SFNCC) shows.
China's self-supporting level of food supply, measured by the
proportion of general food production to consumption, was close to
the world average, said Lu Liangshu, SFNCC president.
The research shows most food categories in China, including
fruit, meat and aquatic products, but excluding dairy produce, had
outpaced domestic demand and were produced for export.
Though lower than the general level of the developed nations,
China's average food grain and meat production per capita ranked
above most of the developing countries, reveals the research.
Lu said China was gradually increasing grain reserves, which was
regarded as an efficient way to supplement the falling rice
production which lagged behind demand.
Ministry of Agriculture figures show the growth of grain
consumption exceeded that of production in the three years from
2000 to 2002.
Last year's grain production went up marginally over the
previous year, but was still behind consumption. Output was almost
certain to drop again this year, as a growing number of farmers had
switched to more cash crops such as fruits and fresh vegetables,
said a ministry spokesman.
The gap between grain output and consumption averaged 2.5
million to 3.5 million tons annually from 2000-2002, with demand
projected to grow by one percent to 489 million tons this year,
available statistics from the State Council Development Research
Center (SCDRC) show.
But experts acknowledged that less cultivated land acreage and
harvests over the past three years did not mean that China's food
security was threatened.
China has historically kept large food grain stockpiles. The
dual grain reserves of both the government and individual farmers
helped ensure the food security.
"Thanks to huge grain stocks, China's overall supplies still
outstrip domestic demand," said Han Jun, a senior expert with the
SCDRC.
Nevertheless, Lu cited, among other factors, distribution
problem, inferior quality of grain reserves for years, aging
warehouses and other outdated storage facilities as potential
threats.
With a noticeable number of needy farmers in outlying,
mountainous areas in China's mid-western regions, food shortage
among low-income families and individuals should be taken seriously
in a bid to maintain food security of the entire country, Lu
said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2003)