Q: In the 1990s, Lester R. Brown, head of the US Worldwatch Institute, released a report titled "Who Will Feed China?" The report created a tremendous stir in the world and aroused people's concern on China's grain security. Could China produce enough grain to satisfy the needs of its 1.3 billion people?
A: If you look at China's reality and have read the report, you will draw the conclusion on your own judgment. Mr. Brown's conclusion lacks solid ground and the concern is unnecessary.
Another westerner had raised the similar question more than 50 yeas ago when he predicted, "the new China could hardly feed its 500-million strong population." However, the fact is the new China not only has supported 22 percent of the world with only 7 percent of the world cultivated land, but also enabled the majority of its people to live relatively well-off life with their per capita income exceeding US$1,000.
An old Chinese saying goes "People regard food as their primary want." The Chinese Government has always attached great importance to grain production. From 1996 to 1999, China achieved record grain harvests for four years running. During that period, grain output reached over 500 billion kilograms in tree years, with supply far exceeding demand. Though the country suffered consecutive reductions in grain production from 2000 to 2003, they had little effect on China's food supply due to rich stocks.
Of course, it should be noted that China has a huge population and sparse land resources. The lack of cultivated land and water will exert increasing restrictions on grain production increase. To ensure the country's long-term grain security, the central government has adopted a series of policies based on the principle of depending largely on domestic production to meet demand.
These policies include: promulgation of cultivated land protection legislation to ensure the supply of key agricultural produce, especially grain; maintaining the current household contract responsibility system to ensure long-term stability of farmland management; increasing input into agriculture to raise comprehensive grain production capability; exempting farmers from all agricultural tax within five years and providing direct subsidies to farmers for grain production, such as the purchase of quality seeds and farming machines; setting a bottom line for the State grain price and controlling price rise of agricultural production materials. A the same time, the government will establish a unified, open, competitive and orderly grain distribution system, improve national grain reserve system, and set up a highly efficient macro control mechanism for grain production.
No stability without grain. This is a political wisdom that has proved to be true in the Chinese history of several thousand years. As the country's social and economic conditions change, China will make timely policy adjustments to promote agricultural production and to guarantee grain security.
Farmers in Hubei Province harvest wheat. "No grain, no stability" is an important part of Chinese political wisdom. China has always attached great importance to agriculture.
