my country will increase the supply of high-quality grain products to better meet residents’ table needs

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 29 (Reporters Hu Lu and Gu Yiping) During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, my country will emphasize equal emphasis on output and quality, improve comprehensive agricultural production capabilities and quality benefits, and at the same time optimize the supply structure, increase the supply of high-quality grain products, and better meet the consumption needs of urban and rural residents.

This was made by Zhang Zhu, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the 29th.

“Against the backdrop of intensified fluctuations in the global grain market, my country has a solid foundation and sufficient confidence to stabilize grain production and supply.” Zhang Zhu said that my country’s grain output has stabilized at more than 1.4 trillion kilograms for two consecutive years, and per capita grain possession has exceeded 500 kilograms. This year’s summer grain has been harvested, early rice has achieved stable production, and autumn grain has begun to be harvested on a large scale. If the weather conditions are generally normal in the later period, another bumper harvest is expected.

He said that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, while the consumption of rice and noodles decreased, the consumption of non-staple foods such as meat, eggs, and milk was still increasing. These were also converted from feed grains such as corn and soybeans. In the “one decrease and one increase” of reduced rations and increased feed grains, the total demand for food will continue to increase, and the string of food security must always be tightened.

The food supply structure still needs to be optimized. The supply of rations is abundant, but the supply of feed grains such as corn is relatively tight, especially soybeans used for oil extraction and feed. The supply of high-quality grain products cannot well meet the growing consumer demand of the people, such as special wheat with strong and weak gluten used to make bread and cakes. The supply of high-quality rice with better taste needs to be increased.

Zhang Zhu said that during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, we should further increase production capacity, gradually optimize the structure, and reasonably improve efficiency. Specifically, it includes stepping up efforts to implement a new round of actions to increase grain production capacity of 100 billion kilograms, insisting on stabilizing area and increasing yields, ensuring that grain production capacity will increase to about 1.45 trillion kilograms by the end of the “15th Five-Year Plan”; adapting to changes in resource endowments and supply and demand situations, rationally optimizing the regional layout of grain, stabilizing grain rations, increasing the production of corn, soybeans, etc., expanding the supply of edible oil through multiple channels, and guiding farmers to grow good grains, so that more nutritious, healthy, and flavorful green and high-quality agricultural products can be put on the people’s tables.