China News Service, Beijing, March 12 (Reporter Chen Su) On the second day of the second lunar month, "The Dragon Raises Its Head", also known as the Spring Plowing Festival, spring plowing begins in various parts of China.

Just after February 11th this year, China's top leaders focused on the "rice bowl" matter.

　　The State Council executive meeting held on the 12th discussed and approved the "New Round Action Plan for Increasing Grain Production Capacity (2024-2030)" and required that the initiative in food security be firmly grasped.

　　Jiang Wenlai, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Agricultural Zoning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told a reporter from China News Service that grain output of more than 1.3 trillion kilograms is one of the main expected development goals specified in this year's government work report.

Spring plowing is currently underway in various places, and the State Council executive meeting is deploying food security work at this time, which is conducive to completing the year-round tasks.

　　Food is the first priority for the people, and agriculture is the foundation of the country.

The high-level focus on food security issues at this time reflects China's consistent emphasis on food security and the consideration of not missing the farming season.

　　On the same day as the National Standing Session, news came that the Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, had allocated 830 million yuan in central government agricultural production disaster prevention and relief funds to support 12 provinces (autonomous regions) including Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan in accelerating crop reform. Relevant disaster prevention, reduction and relief work such as planting and replanting, damage repair of agricultural, livestock and fishery facilities, etc. provide support for promoting agricultural production to get off to a good start.

　　The "New Round Action Plan for Increasing Grain Production Capacity (2024-2030)" discussed and approved at this meeting is also a highlight.

　　China has had bumper grain harvests for many years in a row, with per capita grain possession reaching 493 kilograms in 2023, which continues to be higher than the internationally recognized food safety line of 400 kilograms.

However, according to Li Guoxiang, a researcher at the Institute of Rural Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a new round of actions to increase grain production capacity by 100 billion kilograms is still necessary.

　　He pointed out that food security has always been a top priority for the country and has always been a strategic move.

Implementing a new round of action to increase grain production capacity by 100 billion kilograms is to make Chinese people's jobs more secure, which is also the essence of rural revitalization.

　　In addition, China's overall grain supply is currently guaranteed and China is fully self-sufficient in grain rations, but there are still some structural contradictions.

For example, Li Guoxiang said that the yield level of soybean and other varieties is not high, and production capacity needs to be further improved to reduce dependence on imports.

　　Regarding how to ensure food security, the meeting made detailed arrangements: comprehensively implement a new round of actions to increase grain production capacity of 100 billion kilograms, solidly promote the storage of grain in the land and the storage of grain in technology, implement the task of increasing production by variety and the layout of increasing production by region, and plan and implement high standards We will firmly grasp the initiative in food security through supporting major projects such as farmland construction and seed industry revitalization.

　　Li Guoxiang believes that China currently has three main points in ensuring food security.

First of all, we must focus on cultivated land and seed industry, improve the quality of cultivated land, plan and implement high-standard farmland construction, improve grain production capacity and the ability to respond to natural disasters, focus on grain "chips", and rely on the revitalization of the seed industry to effectively increase grain yield levels.

　　At the same time, the party and government must share responsibilities and implement the task of increasing production capacity; we must focus on key varieties, do a good job in improving the production capacity of corn, soybeans and other varieties, and implement the task of increasing production by variety.

Only in this way can we firmly grasp the initiative in food security.

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