China food security: ‘severe challenges’ ahead as rising incomes, geopolitical turmoil strain resources
- National food output is likely to reach its lowest point at about 58.8 per cent of domestic demand by around 2030, down from 65.8 per cent in 2020
- China’s food supply faces multiple challenges, including rising incomes that will drive up demand, demographic changes and geopolitical disruption
China’s food security will face “more severe challenges” in the next decade amid a complex geopolitical environment and demographic changes, with self-sufficiency in production bottoming out in 2030, experts say.
National food output is likely to reach its lowest point at about 58.8 per cent of domestic demand by around 2030, down from 65.8 per cent in 2020 and 93.6 per cent at the beginning of the century, according to Cheng Guoqiang, a professor of agricultural economics and rural development at Renmin University in Beijing.
China’s food supply faces multiple issues, including rising incomes that will drive up demand and demographic changes, said Cheng, who is also a member of the national expert advisory committee on food security policy.
“China will face greater pressure on resources and more severe challenges in ensuring grain and food security ahead,” he told a virtual forum held at Renmin University on Wednesday.
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