The essence of China's Food Security problem

The eleventh consecutive increase in grain output is a great achievement, but it should also be noted that the increase in grain output is the result of our internal grain restructuring over the years. Last year, our import volume exceeded 70 million tons, and 60% of the world soybean market was imported to China. In this way, many farmers in our country, especially in the northeast region, stopped planting soybeans and planted corn instead. The yield of corn was several times that of soybeans, so the grain output went up. Generally speaking, the increase in grain sown area is not very obvious, and our land is only so much. This is the first aspect.

Second, grain output has been increasing for 11 consecutive years. In fact, there is a great shortage of resources for us, especially in the main grain producing areas. Groundwater has declined, and a large amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been used, resulting in pollution of soil and groundwater. A series of problems, including the degree of food safety itself, I mean pesticide and fertilizer residues, are problems that cannot be ignored.

There is another thing. We say that China's food security problem is not essentially the part eaten by people. The part eaten by people is mainly rice and wheat. There is no problem. In recent years, the import of soybeans and corn has increased greatly, but the import of wheat and rice has basically not increased. It is only to adjust some surplus and shortage, one or two million tons. This amount is very small. Therefore, the food security problem may essentially be to solve the feed security problem on the premise of absolute food security. Corn is a crop that we eat very little. It is mainly used as feed, but as feed, it is made into green corn, or it is not planted with corn and directly planted as feed. Then the benefits may be greater. Therefore, Document No.1 of this year proposes structural adjustment. One of the most important contents is to adjust the structure, that is, to take part of the area planted with corn to plant green corn or plant feed.

Facing the current food security situation in China, how to change the mode of agricultural development, improve grain production capacity, improve farmers 'enthusiasm for growing grain, and then build a stable and reliable national food security system?

The first is structural adjustment. The central government clearly proposed structural adjustment. The first time was in 1985, the second time was in 1998, and the construction of a new business entity was proposed in 2013. In fact, the new-type management subject is the most important subject in the structural adjustment. Without the new-type management subject, it is difficult for the original small farmers to carry out structural adjustment, because the commercialization rate of small farmers is relatively low, even self-sufficient, more than half of them are non-professional farmers, simply planting a few mu of land for their own food and serving their own families, so there is no structural adjustment.

Second, from the grain point of view, it is very important how to really subsidize the farmers who grow grain. The so-called four major subsidies-direct subsidies for growing grain, subsidies for improved varieties, comprehensive subsidies for agricultural means of production and subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery, should be adhered to. At present, the comprehensive agricultural mechanization rate has reached 61%, but it is still far from that of developed countries. How to integrate the other three subsidies and really promote the main body of new agricultural management and grain farmers is probably the focus of reform.

The third is to deepen services. We know that the benefits of growing grain are very low. If one mu of wheat or rice is planted, the benefits are only two or three hundred or four hundred yuan. If the cost rises slightly, he will lose money. In some places, the government purchases deepening services to reduce farmers 'burdens and reduce farmers' production costs. We investigated in Henan last year, that is, agricultural machinery from sowing to harvesting, one-stop service, in one county, the government purchased 30000 mu, these 30000 mu farmers only need to pay 1/3 of the operation funds, the other 2/3 is provided by the government. This is only a pilot project. If the scope is slowly expanded in the future, all farmers can enjoy government subsidies, which will greatly enhance the enthusiasm of grain farmers.

Another is the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries. How to extend the grain industry chain through grain processing, keep more profits in the main grain producing areas and in the hands of grain farmers, and improve the comparative benefits of the grain industry is very important for the future development of the grain industry.