China secures good grain harvest this year

BEIJING — “It is safe to say we can secure a bumpy grain harvest this year,” Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu told Xinhua in an interview.

China is expected to reap at least 600 billion kg of autumn grain this year, Han said, adding that the output and inventory of wheat and rice will basically stay stable and adequate.

It is the sixth consecutive year that China’s autumn grain output has exceeded 600 billion kg, making China a high-level grain producer, Han said.

The per capita grain output, which is about 445 kg, also ranks at a top level in the world, he added.

The minister reaffirmed China’s commitment to opening up the country’s agriculture sector to the outside world, as it had pledged to the World Trade Organization (WTO). China joined the WTO in 2001.

From 2001-2017, China’s farm produce trade rose from $27.9 billion to $201.39 billion, ranking second largest in the world.

In 2017, China recorded a deficit of $50.33 billion in farm produce trade, with $75.53 billion of exports and $125.86 billion of imports.

China will continue to loosen market entry access and improve the business environment for foreign investors. It will also help build technology promotion centers and send training experts to less-developed nations.

When answering questions on the Sino-US trade frictions, Han said China does not want to be engaged in a trade war but has no choice, and that it must face up to it without fear, he said.

With solid basis accumulated from 40 years of reform and opening-up, innovative Chinese farmers and a huge market with right rural policy-making and implementation, China will certainly face up to the reality with composure, he said.

Only cooperation brings about win-win. It is a time-honored trend and a conclusion drawn by history, he added.