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Food self-sufficiency
A
ccording to reports, China is set to remain selfsufficient in the main food crops, though output will slow in the next decade under increasing resource and rural labor constraints, China will import more oilseed and livestock, for both the meat and dairy sectors, as consumption growth will outpace production during the 2013-2022 period. The country's imports of oilseed are expected to rise by 40 percent in the next decade, accounting for 59 percent of global trade, while dairy imports are projected to rise 20 percent, according to the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2013-2022. Rise in prices for both crop and livestock products are expected in the next decade due to a combination of slower production growth and stronger demand, including for that for the bio-fuels. It is said that limited expansion of agricultural land, rising production costs, growing resource constraints and increasing environmental pressures will pressurize agricultural production, which is expected to grow 1.5 percent annually in the period, down from an annual growth of 2.1 percent between 2003 and 2012. Despite all the prevailing and expected challenges, it is a really good omen that the country will remain self sufficient with regard to food demands. It clearly indicates that the Chinese leadership is keeping a very specific focus on the food requirements of the nation in the coming years and is successfully evolving policies and measures to ensure the country’s self sufficiency. It also clearly reflects that while the Chinese government is keeping an eagle eye on maintaining a foolproof security of country’s geographical boundaries, at the same time it has by no means, ignored the food security perception at all. We believe that the model for food self sufficiency that the Chinese leaders have set, must be followed by all the countries in the region to ensure a starvation-free future of the nations.
Editor