Self-sufficiency is bottom line for China's food security

In the next decade, China is expected to maintain a high level of food self-sufficiency in the three major staples, according to the Chinese Agricultural Outlook report (2014-2023).

The report was released on April 20 during the "2014 China Agricultural Outlook Conference (AOC)", the first of its kind in this country, which aims to enhance the transparency of the Chinese agricultural market, strengthen information sharing, capitalize on market opportunities, improve agricultural early warning capacity and mitigate agricultural risks, and accordingly contribute to the development of a modern agricultural industry.

Dr. Xu Shiwei, executive chairman of the conference, said that in the next decade, China's self-sufficiency rate in the three major staple foods (rice, wheat and maize) is expected to remain high; edible oil production is expected to grow steadily, imports will decline, the future will still see growing soybean imports, but the rate of growth will be slowing down; meat imports are expected to continue to increase; dairy imports will continue to increase.

The report also noted that over the next 10 years, the modern market system, agricultural support policies, and scientific and technological advances will provide new opportunities for the development of agriculture in China. Major agricultural production will be steady, while milk is set to become one of the main agricultural products in the fastest growing segment with 3.5% annual growth. Overall, China's demand for major agricultural products will be slightly higher than the growth of production.

The report also shows that China's imports of soy beans will slow down significantly in the next decade. Vice Minister of Agriculture Chen Xiaohua stressed that self-sufficiency is the bottom line for China's food security.