Minister stresses efforts to safeguard grain security

BEIJING -- China will make extraordinary efforts to improve agricultural production and safeguard grain security, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian has said.

Efforts should be made at grain security and preventing return to poverty on a large scale, Tang said in a recent interview with Xinhua, adding that grain output for 2022 should be more than 650 billion kg.

Noting that 110 million mu (about 7.33 million hectares) of wheat has been affected by autumn floods this year in some provinces, Tang urged targeted measures in ensuring a bumper summer harvest next year.

In 2021, China's grain output reached nearly 683 billion kg, up 13.4 billion kg from last year, marking the seventh consecutive year that the country's total grain production exceeded 650 billion kg.

Abiding by the principle of basic food self-sufficiency based on domestic grain production, China will implement the strictest farmland protection system and enhance management of farmland use, Tang noted.

Tang said the ministry will work with other authorities to push for technological advances to break bottlenecks in seed provenance and improve weak links in agricultural machinery.

Efforts will be made to guarantee the building of one billion mu of high-standard farmland with high and stable yields, which can withstand droughts and floods, Tang said.

Coordinated efforts will be made to develop modern agricultural industrial parks, towns with strong agricultural industries, clusters of special industries and agricultural modernization demonstration zones, Tang said.

An action plan for rural construction will be made to improve the living environment, infrastructure and public services in rural areas, Tang added.

China has laid out its 2022 priorities for rural development, analyzed the situation and tasks facing issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers in an annual central rural work conference that concluded Sunday.

The conference called for efforts to safeguard grain security and protect farmland, make down-to-earth structural adjustments, expand the planting of soybean and oil crops, as well as ensure the supply of pork, vegetables and other farm products.