Agriculture

Dog breeding licences 'won't protect animals'

18 Feb 2013

Animal welfare groups have cast doubt on government plans to introduce three types of licences to control dog breeding, claiming the move won't protect animals.

Short Science, February 17, 2013

17 Feb 2013

The particle collider that gave scientists a glimpse of what may be the Higgs boson shut down for a two-year revamp that will allow it to pursue the quest with renewed vigour.

China’s big step in rural reform: mapping farmland

6 Feb 2013

The bare light bulbs, unheated rooms and elderly residents of the whitewashed village of Yangwang in eastern China make it seem an unlikely place for an experiment in cutting-edge satellite...

Beijing to spend 18b yuan to protect farmers' land rights

2 Feb 2013

The mainland is going to spend 18 billion yuan (HK$22.4 billion) identifying and registering the contractual rights of farmland in the countryside over the next five years amid concern too much...

Beijing tries to plant seeds for a more stable food supply

29 Jan 2013

The central government has mapped out its first long-term plan for the agricultural seed industry, as a lack of independent biotechnology and a chaotic seed market have challenged its ability to...

Opinion

Wang Xiangwei

Super ministries may not be the right answer for mainland China

Alex Lo

Church developers remain unbowed by government rules

George Chen

A house is not a home until it becomes affordable

China must invest abroad for food security, forum told

China must invest overseas to ensure its food security, said speakers at the recent Asian Financial Forum.

UN world food body targets Hong Kong office

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is considering setting up an office in Hong Kong, said its China representative, Brett Rierson.

WFP's role is to promote food security and...

China Digest, January 7, 2013

The embezzlement trial of the former deputy general manager of a state-owned military contractor has begun at Beijing's No 1 Intermediate People's Court, the Beijing Times reports.

CHART OF THE WEEK

Corn overtakes rice as diners continue to move to meat

The mainland produced more corn than rice for the first time on record in the 2012-13 season, as surging incomes fuelled demand for meat, prompting farmers to focus more on animal feed.

AGRICULTURE

Policies aired to boost food security and avoid overreliance on imports

Henry Kissinger once said: "Control the food and you control the people."

AGRICULTURE

Party's first policy plan to focus on rural issues, say experts

The Communist Party's first policy blueprint next year will continue to focus on rural issues, with priority likely to be given to diversifying patterns of agricultural production to encourage...