China News Service, December 24th. On the morning of the 24th, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a press conference on the current market situation and production situation of my country's grain and major agricultural products during the Spring Festival and New Year's Day.

According to Tang Ke, director of the Department of Market and Information Technology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, from the current situation, the total supply of grain and major agricultural products in my country is sufficient, and the market is basically operating normally.

Data map: In early July, in many wheat-growing areas in Kongtong District, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, farmers used mechanical and manual methods to "grab the harvest" and planted food for half a year.

Photo by Wan Xiaolian

　　Among them, food prices have recovered after years of sluggishness. Corn prices have increased significantly in the early stage. Recently, with the increase in listings, the prices have stabilized. The prices of rice and wheat have risen slightly and have remained stable; the production capacity of pigs has continued to recover, and the price of pork has continued to recover. The price of poultry meat, poultry and eggs has been operating at a low level recently. The price of vegetables and fruits fluctuates seasonally, which is basically in line with the law of the year. Some small varieties such as onion and ginger have increased greatly, but the supply of vegetables is generally Guaranteed.

According to monitoring, the "National Wholesale Price Index of'Vegetable Basket' Products 200" in November was 120.08 (100 in 2015), which was 2.50 points lower than the previous month and 0.37 points higher than the same period last year.

　　Tang Ke said that from the perspective of the later trend, China’s grain production will have another bumper harvest this year, rice and wheat stocks have maintained historical highs, pig production capacity has recovered well, livestock, poultry, and fruit and vegetable production is stable. The domestic agricultural product market is expected to remain stable next year, especially on New Year’s Day. During the Spring Festival, the supply of key varieties of "rice bags" and "vegetable baskets" is sufficient and rich in varieties. Urban and rural residents will not lack food or oil, nor will they lack meat or vegetables.

With the support of holiday consumption and increased production and distribution costs, the overall price of agricultural products is expected to fluctuate seasonally, but the possibility of a sharp increase is unlikely. It is necessary to continue to pay attention to the impact of low temperature, rain and snow, and the epidemic on the normal production and sales of agricultural products in the later period.

　　From an international perspective, global food prices have continued to be weak in the past few years. This year, affected by the concentrated outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and some countries have reduced food production due to weather and insect pests, the overall international food prices have fluctuated and increased. The price index has risen for 6 consecutive months, reaching the highest level since December 2014.

However, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s forecast, the global food supply and demand in 2020/2021 is still ample (global cereal production 2.76 billion tons, consumption 2.74 billion tons, both increased by about 2%), which does not support the long-term rise in food prices. The development of the epidemic and disaster situation is still unclear, and short-term international markets may still experience large fluctuations.

　　Tang Ke pointed out that what needs to be explained is that my country has always adhered to the strategy of "basic self-sufficiency in grains and absolute safety in rations". The three major staple foods of rice, wheat and corn imported from the international market are small in quantity, mainly for varieties and annual surpluses. Adjustment, the mutual influence between the domestic market and the international market is limited.

In recent years, my country’s largest imported agricultural product is soybeans. According to customs data, from January to November this year, a total of 92.8 million tons of soybeans were imported, an increase of 17.5% year-on-year. This not only effectively guaranteed the domestic protein feed and edible vegetable oil demand, but also became the main international soybean export. China provides the broadest market space.

　　Tang Ke said that in the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will follow the decisions and deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and will not relax the production of grain and pigs, work with relevant departments to regulate the agricultural product market, and implement the "rice bag" governor responsibility system. With the "vegetable basket" mayor responsibility system, we will effectively guarantee the supply of major agricultural products such as grain for urban and rural residents, and provide strong support for the "14th Five-Year Plan" to get off to a good start and start the new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way.