CCTV:
Food prices generally rose last year and many countries around the world have tightened grain control in their favor. Given that societies are very concerned about food security issues, what is the current food security situation in China? What measures have been taken to ensure food security this year? Thank you.
Tang Renjian:
Thank you for your question. Your first question regarding food issues references how all sectors of society are very concerned about this issue, so I will answer this question first.
At the central rural work conference last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping made it clear that food security is the greatest priority for our country. Of all matters that concern the people, food security is the greatest. For a country like China with a population of 1.4 billion, ensuring food security is a constant, and I think we can never stress this enough. China has seen bumper harvests for several years in a row. Last year it reached 669.5 billion kilos, a record high, and an increase of more than 5 billion kilos compared to the previous year. The country's grain inventory is currently very abundant, so whether it is regarding production, sales, or inventory, I can report that China's food security is completely guaranteed and we can secure our rice bowls. In response to the COVID-19 epidemic last year, grain and all-important subsidiary agricultural products were well-produced, supplied, and sold. We withstood the big test.
However, on the other hand, we must also realize that the situation of food supply and demand in China has always been tightly balanced. In the future 14th Five-Year Plan period, or a longer period of time, as the population continues to grow, especially with the upgrade of consumption, the demand for food will increase steadily. At the same time, external uncertainties and instabilities will also increase significantly. So on the issue of food security, we must not take it lightly and we must also make our outlook as secure as possible, produce as much grain as possible, and store more food. We also need to counter external uncertainties by stabilizing domestic production and supply, so that when we truly have food in our hands, we feel safe in our hearts.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we need to tightly grasp food security initiatives, that the awareness of food security can't be keener, and that food production must be prioritized every year. His words fully demonstrate how food security plays an extremely important role in the overall strategic situation and the big picture of China's overall development and security. To ensure food security, the focus is to do well in the "two storings," that is, "storing grain in the ground and storing grain in technology." This is the material basis for ensuring national food security. Farmland is the lifeblood of food production. Without farmland, there is no food. In the next step, we will take hard measures to implement the most stringent farmland protection system, resolutely curb the "non-agriculturalization" of cultivated land and prevent the "non-grainization" of cultivated land, and firmly maintain the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land, and at the same time ensure that 1.55 billion mu of permanent basic farmland is planted with annual crops such as grains, melons, and vegetables. In addition, we must ensure that the planned 1.075 billion mu of high-standard farmland will be built and we must work hard to produce food. Speaking of high-standard farmland, this is a key tool for us to improve soil fertility and increase yield. Specifically, it is used to improve the standards and quality of construction to ensure that one season can produce 500kg of grain, while two seasons can produce 1 ton on such farmland. This is the high standard. At the same time, we should protect and make good use of black land, the gold standard of cultivated land, and we should especially preserve and build the northeast of China as the country's leading large granary. China only has finite land and water resources, therefore, the fundamental way to increase food production is to rely on science and technology for yields and benefits, insist on self-reliance in agricultural science and technology, and be determined to promote the food production industry and use modern agricultural technologies and material equipment to strengthen the support of food security.
At the same time, we must also establish a mechanism guarantee of "two supplements," which is supplement by benefits and supplement by obligations. "Supplement by benefits" refers to allowing farmers to make additional profits from growing grain and to adhere to and improve agricultural prices and subsidy policies in terms of policy measures. "Supplement by obligations" is to consolidate the obligations and responsibilities of local Party committees and governments on food security. Therefore, this central rural work conference and the "No. 1 central document" both specify that the next step is to implement the same responsibility shared by the Party and government for food security, which builds on each provincial governor's responsibility system we stressed previously. Through these efforts, we will ensure that sown areas and output of grain in various provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) can remain stable and continue to increase if conditions permit.
To ensure supply, we must not only ensure the quantity but also consider ensuring diversity and quality as the next step. That's because maintaining diversity and quality simultaneously is not only to meet the needs of our market demand but also to increase farmers' income and improve agricultural efficiency. Therefore, we must further the supply side structural reform in agriculture, make it detailed and solid, and adjust and optimize the agricultural production structure, including the regional layout and product structure. We must also promote the cultivation of good varieties of produce, improve quality, build brands, and standardize production. This strategy was mentioned by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the central rural work conference. We understand that it means providing additional varieties of agricultural products at better quality, via smoother sales channels, with better profits, which can better meet the diversified consumption needs of urban and rural residents. Thank you.
