China News Agency, Beijing, March 5th (Chen Suxiabin and Wang Tao) The government work report submitted to the National People's Congress on the 5th made it clear that the grain output in 2023 will remain above 1.3 trillion catties.

This is the third consecutive year that China has proposed a grain production target in the government work report since the 2021 government work report first proposed a grain production target, laying out the "rice bowl" event for 1.4 billion people.

On March 5, the first session of the 14th National People's Congress opened in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Sheng Jiapeng

　　Why has China continued to raise grain production targets in recent years?

How to achieve this goal?

What is the significance of this goal for the world food pattern?

　　"Food security is the 'biggest country'." Wan Jianmin, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told a reporter from China News Agency that the government work report once again clarified grain production, reflecting the country's commitment to food security. Setting expected targets for grain production can guide agricultural work on the one hand, and on the other hand, can judge and understand the basic situation of national food security based on grain consumption.

　　Du Zhixiong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a researcher at the Institute of Rural Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that in recent years, the international environment has changed, the prices of international agricultural products have fluctuated sharply, and the supply chain has become unstable.

Domestically, with the improvement of the living standards of Chinese residents, the demand for food and meat, eggs and milk transformed from food has increased, the consumption of agricultural products has been upgraded, and both direct food consumption and indirect food consumption are on the rise.

Against this background, China has proposed production targets, which will help to better achieve national food security.

　　"In addition, grain prices are the basis of all prices. Determining grain production targets is also a positive signal to the market, which will help build market confidence in grain production, promote grain price stability, and in turn help promote China's overall price level. Stable." Du Zhixiong said.

Data map: The harvester is working in the rice field.

Photo by Min Yong

　　Jiang Wenlai, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Agricultural Regional Planning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the addition of grain production targets to the government work report has given food security a "quantity" concept, which is conducive to clearer goals for the grain production department and is important for stabilizing grain production. significance.

　　According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2022, China's grain output will reach 1,373.1 billion catties, exceeding 1.3 trillion catties for eight consecutive years.

The "rice bowl" of the Chinese is firmly in their own hands.

However, as a country with a large population, China is faced with the basic national conditions of small land and large population. In the medium and long term, improving the level of food security is an important issue.

　　Regarding how to secure the "job bowl", the Central Rural Work Conference and the No. 1 Central Document proposed that China will implement a new round of 100 billion jin grain production capacity increase.

The government work report also proposed this action again, which means that China has begun to move towards a new level of output of 1.4 trillion catties.

　　Jiang Wenlai said that the key to implementing a new round of 100 billion catties of grain production capacity increase is to play two cards: cultivated land and seed industry. We must further increase the construction of high-standard farmland, improve the quality of cultivated land, improve the level of agricultural modernization, improve agricultural technology and Improve the level of mechanization, do a good job in the "turnaround of the seed industry", and further increase the grain yield per unit area.

In addition, support policies must be adopted to mobilize the enthusiasm of grain growers.

Data map: Harvesting wheat.

(UAV photo) Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo

　　"As the world's most populous country, China's contribution to global food security is to solve its own food security problems well." Li Liying, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of Henan Institute of Engineering, said that China uses 9% of the world's arable land and 6% of fresh water resources The food produced feeds nearly 20% of the population.

By 2022, China's grain self-sufficiency rate will exceed 95%, and the grain per capita will far exceed the international average of 400 kilograms per capita.

　　Du Zhixiong said that the "Global Food Crisis Report 2022" released by the United Nations World Food Program shows that in 2021, the number of people affected by hunger in the world will be about 828 million people, accounting for 9.8% of the world's population.

China's clear goal of grain production of more than 1.3 trillion catties means that China has always used its own efforts to ensure grain self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on the world grain market. This is a great contribution to the food security of mankind as a whole.

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