July 4, 2008 (LPAC)--The Chinese government today approved a plan to increase grain production, to ensure that the nation, the world's most populous, becomes over 95% self-sufficient in grain production by 2020. The goal, presented by the national State Council, is to produce 540 million tons of grain a year. China is already basically food self-sufficient: It has produced bumper grain crops over the past five years, with an annual crop of over 500 million tons in 2007. However, this was 15 million tons less than total demand, and that gap must be closed. China also has large grain reserves--some 150 million tons, including 40-50 million tons of rice reserves.
The Chinese nation knows what famine means, having suffered starvation both before and soon after the 1947 revolution, and is determined to prevent such disasters in the future. China faces a huge challenge: it must feed 22% of the world population with well less than 10% of world arable land. China's arable land per capita is just 12% of what the US has, and 50% of what India has.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said that "sprawling industrialization and urbanization" are increasing the pressure on Chinese farm production. The government must be "relentless" in its commitment to maintaining a minimum of 120 million hectares of arable land, as well as improving vital water supplies and other agriculture infrastructure. The government is also committed to ensuring rising incomes for farmers.
Jilin province, in the northwest, which is already a big grain producer (including corn), is to increase its grain production by over 5 million tons over the next five years. The national and provincial government will invest 26 billion yuan($3.72 billion) in water diversion and irrigation projects, as well as improving mechanization and overall education of Jilin's farmers in advanced techniques. The program will given Jilin another 200,000 hectares of arable land, and upgrade the productive capacity of over 3 million hectares (7.4 million] acres) of Jilin's current 5.3 million hectares (13 million acres) of farmland.
