China food security: Beijing tells farmers to stick to grain amid global uncertainty
- The State Council has issued a new guideline restricting the planting of non-grain crops to ensure food security
- Concerns about China’s grain supply have grown this year, despite government assurances there is no problem
The Chinese government has issued an unusual guideline telling the country’s farmers not to scale back planting of wheat, rice and corn, in the latest sign that Beijing is taking no chances to ensure security of grain supply.
The use of arable land for non-grain crops had to be scrutinised and restricted because China must “stabilise domestic grain output to cope with uncertainties stemming from the global situation”, according to the notice published by the State Council, China’s cabinet, on Tuesday.
The guideline marked a noticeable departure from China’s long-standing policy of encouraging diversification in arable land use, especially a push to sow “economic crops” such as cotton and tobacco, or grow vegetables and dig fish ponds to boost growth.
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