Ensuring food security

In a bid to identify the ideal rice varieties for Heilongjiang, a team headed by Nie Shoujun from the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences conducted a series of experiments. After years of efforts, a number of high-quality varieties featuring high yields and better resistance to disease have been cultivated.

"Cultivating high-quality varieties with independent intellectual property can help enhance China's agricultural competitiveness, so as to ensure the country's food security," Nie said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, transnational trade in grains has often been disrupted, putting the global food supply chain at great risk. The number of people suffering from hunger is on the rise.

China reaped a bumper harvest last year despite the impact of COVID-19, typhoons, floods and droughts, with an annual grain yield of 669.5 million metric tons. The country has shown the capability to feed its population and withstand threats to grain production.

This year marks the beginning of China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25). China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has urged all provincial-level regions to either maintain or increase their crop planting area to make sure the country's total grain output stays above 650 million tons per year.

Heilongjiang plans to add 100,000 hectares of crop acreage this year, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.

China has enjoyed a bumper harvest for 17 straight years, with its annual grain output exceeding 650 million tons for six consecutive years, boosting the country's confidence in fighting COVID-19 and developing the economy, said Li Guoxiang, a researcher with the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

By meeting its domestic grain demand and reducing grain imports while moderately increasing exports of waheat and rice, China is making a contribution to the world in terms of reducing global food security risks, Li said.

Xinhua