China's grain output reaches new high as growers enjoy more policy support

China

China's grain output reaches new high as growers enjoy more policy support

2024-10-25 15:02 Last Updated At：18:47

The grain growers in China are benefiting from a slew of policies rolled out this year to motivate them to expand production and enhance production efficiency, said China's vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Friday, as the country's grain output is set to reach a new high of 700 billion kilograms by the end of the year.

Zhang Xingwang, the vice minister, made the statements at a press briefing in Beijing in response to a journalist's question on China's progress on autumn grain harvest.

"Data collected by our ministry showed that by Thursday, over 80 percent of the autumn grain had been harvested, which is the majority. The situations on the ground and the evaluation of experts showed that most provinces posted growth in grain production despite the production in a few provinces dropping as a result of the natural disasters. In general, there is a noticeable growth in autumn grain production. Combining with the production of the summer grain and the early-season rice, this year's grain production is set to reach a new high of an estimated 700 billion kilograms," said Zhang Xingwang.

Zhang said that the growth was partially driven by the fiscal support from the central government, which ensured that the production cost and the incomes of the growers are covered by insurances, thus providing them incentives to produce more.

"The area under grain cultivation also grew. As the central government increased fiscal support for grain production, the full cost insurance and the planting income insurance have fully covered the growers for rice, wheat and corn. The minimum purchase prices of wheat and the early indica rice were also raised, effectively motivating the growers to engage in grain production," Zhang added.

Since early this year, actions have been taken in the main grain-producing counties across China to enhance per unit area yields. Efforts have been made to improve the quality of agricultural land and to introduce better seeds, machinery, techniques and mechanisms.

"The per unit yields increased as well. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Development and Reform Commission have implemented a series of actions to enhance the per unit yields of corn. We have newly launched another action for soybean and have been further implementing the more extensive actions for the grain crops and the oilseed crops. It is estimated that the increased per unit yields will contribute to over 70 percent of the growth in grain production," said Zhang.

China plays key role in pursuing true multilateralism: expert

2024-10-25 18:26 Last Updated At：18:37

China plays an important and unique role among BRICS countries in leading the Global South and promoting multilateralism, said Gustavo de Carvalho, a senior researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

While participating in the BRICS Plus leaders' dialogue during the final day of the Kazan summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world.

"We support more Global South countries in joining the cause of BRICS as full members, partner countries or in the 'BRICS Plus' format so that we can combine the great strength of the Global South to build together a community with a shared future for mankind," Xi said.

No matter how the international landscape evolves, said the Chinese president, "we in China will always keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South."

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Gustavo de Carvalho spoke highly of Xi's speech.

"He talks a lot about this fragmented global context and challenges that countries not only China, but also emerging countries and countries from the Global South are facing from this increasing polarization, but also positioning China to a certain degree to be able to further engage with other BRICS members when it comes to specific issues, whether it's in relation to green development, whether it's in in relation to this what he calls this high quality development, type of approach which very much comes together with narratives that we've seen here in Africa, for instance, the idea of not just engaging with trade, but also inserting the continents in a more high value portion of the global supply chains. I think that brings a very important process but also that it allows that diversity and varieties of views that we have within BRICS to still be accommodated in positions, for instance, like the ones that China presented," said Gustavo de Carvalho.

The first-ever summit of an expanded BRICS took place from Tuesday to Thursday in Kazan, the capital city of western Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.

BRICS began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has now evolved into an influential international cooperation mechanism with an expanded membership.

Besides the countries that officially joined the BRICS family on Jan 1, 2024, over 30 countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have either formally applied for or expressed interest in the membership.