Ensuring food security concerns vital interests of whole country

Only by ensuring self-sufficiency in food can a country take the initiative in food security and confidently face various risks and challenges.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the total grain output of the country reached 706.5 million tons, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to that of the previous year.

With only 9 percent of the world's arable land and 6 percent of its freshwater resources, China supports nearly one-fifth of the global population, achieving a per capita grain possession exceeding 500 kilograms, far above the internationally recognized security line of 400 kg.

As incomes have risen and consumption grown, the demand for grain is expected to further increase in the coming years. However, with increasingly tight constraints on arable land and water resources and more frequent extreme weather events, the overall supply and demand for grain will remain in a tight balance.

To cope with the challenges, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued a comprehensive rural revitalization plan from 2024 to 2027, which sets clear goals and tasks for consolidating the foundation of food security.

This requires first safeguarding the strategic baseline of 1.8 billion mu (120 million hectares) of arable land. Currently, over 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland has been developed nationwide, providing significant support for stable and abundant grain production. By 2030, a total of 1.2 billion mu of high-standard farmland is to be developed, helping to actively address the peak in grain demand that will arrive in a few years.

Second, there is a need to vigorously develop agricultural technologies for higher efficiency. Currently, the comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation and harvesting in China exceeds 75 percent, and the contribution rate of agricultural technological progress surpasses 63 percent. The widespread application of the latest agricultural technology can help improve land productivity and resource utilization efficiency, injecting new momentum into bountiful grain harvests.

Increasing grain production also requires consolidating farmers' confidence in growing grains, and mobilizing and protecting their enthusiasm for doing so. It is necessary to continuously improve policies that benefit farmers and grant them more rewards from the agricultural process, so as to ensure the income of farmers and stabilize their expectations for growing grain.

Besides, saving grain and avoiding food waste are also important ways to ensure food security, and it's necessary to raise public awareness of grain conservation and create a social atmosphere of saving grain. Food security is a major national issue that concerns everyone's vital interests.

ECONOMIC DAILY