China food security: critical grain harvest sees first summer drop in 5 years, autumn dip may follow
- Unless China can sow some luck this autumn and avoid inclement weather such as extreme heat and excessive rain, annual grain output will likely fall short of goals
- Dramatic weather changes could force China to consider alternative approaches to shoring up nation’s food security – some suggest breeding more resistant crops with genetics
China’s grain output for the year is not looking good, as the summer yield is down and more extreme weather looms, analysts warn.
Particularly worrisome is that the autumn harvest, which accounts for 75 per cent of China’s whole-year grain production, as they say it is at risk of being lighter due to adverse weather – the primary factor blamed for the first decline in China’s summer harvest since 2018.
The country has already faced rarely seen bouts of bad weather this summer, and the subsequently higher risks including drought, flooding and less plant growth, said Huo Xuexi, a professor of agricultural economics from Northwest A&F University.
“I’m afraid that maintaining grain production this year at last year’s level would be difficult, given the risks of climatic damage projected by domestic and international meteorologists,” he said.