China’s Record Grain Output Fails to Halt Decline in Food Self-Sufficiency

China's Record Grain Output Fails to Halt Decline in Food Self-Sufficiency

VoM News Desk | December 29, 2023 | 11:53 AM IST | China, World | Follow on Google News

China’s Record Grain Output Fails to Halt Decline in Food Self-Sufficiency

China’s Record Grain Output Fails to Halt Decline in Food Self-Sufficiency

Despite China’s record high grain output this year, experts emphasize that the country’s food self-sufficiency rate is decreasing as it heavily relies on imports.

China witnessed a record-breaking grain output, making it the 20th consecutive bumper harvest year.

The annual grain output exceeded 1.39 trillion kilograms this year, with an overall goal to stabilize production to ensure it remains above 1.3 trillion kilograms in 2024.

However, self-sufficiency in “food rations” does not equal having enough self-produced food to feed the entire population. China may have a grain gap of about 130 million tons by 2025, about 10 percent of the projected 2024 output.

China’s food self-sufficiency rate has dropped from 93.6 percent in 2000 to 65.8 percent. The surge in China’s agricultural product imports has had a huge impact on the world, leading to a significant increase in global farmland and global deforestation.

China’s soybean self-sufficiency rate dropped from 62.4 percent in 2000 to 16.6 percent. The country’s food self-sufficiency ratio has fallen from around 100% in 2000 to 76% in 2020246.

To diversify its food sources, China has established cooperation with over 140 countries and regions for grain imports. However, concerns remain that the country’s food import supply could be affected by potential maritime embargoes by the US in times of military clashes or other issues.

China’s imports unexpectedly grew in October, with a 25% jump in soybean imports from a year earlier7. The rising farming input costs have resulted in a growing reliance on food imports, forming a vicious circle2. China’s food self-sufficiency ratio should be kept above 95%, but it fell below 90% in 20122.

Removing nontariff import barriers could increase China’s imports of pork, beef, corn, and wheat9. For the foreseeable future, China will need to rely on trade for some portion of its production.

VoM News Desk

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