Reeling from one storm and bracing for another, farmers in China’s top grain-producing region have appeared on social media begging for help protecting their crops, including rice, as food-security drive faces challenges.
As the world’s biggest food producer and importer, changes in China’s food production and consumption will heavily influence global food trade, writes Hongzhou Zhang (RSIS).
Beijing says it is trying to ‘mobilise the public’ in a bid to exterminate the ‘rats’ and ‘moths’ – corrupt officials who put grain reserves and the nation’s food security at risk.
Tropical Hainan province’s first major durian harvest reflects challenges facing Chinese growers as they rush to cash in on surging domestic demand, and large-scale cultivation is still years away.
From technology to tumultuous trade ties, China is finding it a challenge to guarantee sufficient crop yields, but drastic measures are being taken across the country to shore up critical grains.