(Combating New Coronary Pneumonia) Interview with FAO Representatives in China and North Korea: Take steps to reduce the devastating impact of the epidemic on the food system
China News Agency, Beijing, February 22th: Interview with representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in China and North Korea: Take measures as soon as possible to reduce the devastating impact of the epidemic on the food system
Author Liu Liang
Ensuring food security is of paramount importance to the national economy and people's livelihood. How will agricultural and food security problems be affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic? A reporter from China News Agency recently interviewed Vincent Martin, the representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in China and North Korea.
From SARS to New Coronary Pneumonia, China's Economic Role is Changing
Ma Wensen said that with SARS in 2003 as a reference point, China's contribution to the world economy has changed significantly compared with 17 years ago.
He said that data from the International Monetary Fund showed that China's global economic status has improved significantly in the past ten years. China's contribution to global GDP was 18.67% in 2018, and China's contribution to global economic output was 8.74% in 2003. .
China is also the world's largest trading nation. Mr. Mavinson said that China's trade position is deeply entrenched globally through a large number of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to what kind of impact the epidemic will have on agricultural supply and demand in China and abroad, and what kind of chain reaction it will bring to food prices and markets.
Agriculture and food make up a large share of China's trade mix. Marvinson bluntly stated that although the share of agriculture, including forestry and fishing, in China's GDP is declining, its contribution to China's GDP in 2018 accounted for 7.19%.
It's too early to talk about agricultural impact
Ma Wensen said that the impact of the epidemic on agriculture depends to a large extent on how long the fight against the "epidemic" will continue, and when companies can bail out and resume normal operations. It is therefore too early to assess the impact on agriculture at this stage.
However, from the experience of public health emergencies in the past, Marvinson said that restricting the movement of goods and people may have a large socio-economic impact, beyond the direct impact on health, and affect the most vulnerable groups. Although these restrictions help curb the spread of disease, they often lead to disruptions in the market chain and agricultural product trade, and have a greater potential impact on people who depend on them for their livelihoods and food and nutrition security.
Ma Wensen said that the local economy is often the most severely affected, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, and their product supply chains have been greatly affected due to restrictions on transportation and personnel mobility. Following the African swine fever epidemic, the epidemic has made matters worse in some places. After the outbreak of African swine fever in August 2018, it has seriously affected China ’s pig industry, causing rising consumer prices and loss of income for small farmers.
China and international agencies fight the "epidemic"
Ma Wensen said that in order to deal with the adverse effects of the epidemic on agriculture and rural areas, the Chinese government and international agencies have adopted a series of response measures.
For example, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the National Health and Health Committee issued a notice jointly stressing that the epidemic prevention and control work in rural areas should be done well. In order to ensure food supply and quality and safety during the epidemic, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a notice on January 30 this year, emphasizing support and guarantee for winter and spring grain production during and after the epidemic.
Although the current focus of work is to curb the spread of the epidemic, Marvinson emphasized that measures should also be taken as soon as possible to minimize the damaging impact of the epidemic on local and global food systems and market chains. Studying the impact of the epidemic on people's livelihoods in rural areas and how the virus is produced on human-animal-environment contact surfaces is essential to prevent future outbreaks of this kind.
Ma Wensen said that under the “same health” framework, the FAO is currently working closely with domestic partners including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and international institutions such as the World Health Organization and the World Animal Health Organization to help determine Potential animal hosts for the virus and assess its impact on smallholder livelihoods. (Finish)