Ensuring safe and high quality food is a top priority for the new era, says Li Wei 李伟 State Council Development Research Centre (DRC) director. National goals on achieving a 'moderately prosperous society' are nearing completion and food demand will continue to rise until a projected peak in 2030.
Though substantial progress has been made, Li notes ongoing contradictions in the agricultural economy including
- rapidly rising yields but slow progress on quality
- rapid industrialisation of food production but slow progress on sustainability
- insufficient capacity to guarantee both food security and safety
Still, Li is confident that lessons learned on rural poverty alleviation and food security in China provide valuable experience as the rest of the world pushes to reach the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. He pledges that State Council DRC will actively share its experience and research.
Basic self sufficiency in grain is still a national goal, says Han Jun 韩俊 Central Rural Work Leading Group Office director, despite commitments to supply-side structural reform and regulations blocking grain production in unsuitable regions. Instead, food security will come from 'storing grain in the land and in technology'—a strategy focused on production capacity rather than yield. Rural property rights reform and increasing marketisation of agricultural factors of production is critical, argues Han, who further calls for
- reforms to the wheat and rice purchase and storage system
- addressing mismanagement of agricultural resources through centralisation of management
- opening up to agricultural trade and improving coordination of imports with domestic interests
The fifth annual Food Security and Safety Strategy Summit was held in Beijing 18–19 Nov 2017, convened by State Council Development Research Centre and China Economic Almanac.