The threat of hunger never fades

• Source: Global Times
• [04:33 October 16 2009]
• Comments

Even today, 15 million Chinese still live in poverty. China solved the basic problems of feeding and clothing its population in 1984, but the droughts and floods that have frequently hit grain producing areas, together with inadequate irrigation facilities, have jeopardized farming each time.

Farming has also been endangered by the rush toward urbanization. More and more farmers have left their crops behind as they try to seek a better life in the cities.

A more serious danger lies in the assumption that China can always rely on the world market for its food supply. The setback China suffered in setting the price of imported iron ore, despite being the largest iron ore importer in the world, raised alarms of the risk of market supply.

The Chinese population is still growing, and so is the requirement for food quality, which will put further pressure on producers to supply enough food.

In the world market, China has suffered the dilemma that whatever it tries to buy, the price goes up.

If China depends on the market for its food supply, what we can put on our dinner table will fall under the control of others.

Any disruption to the world grain production chain would have disastrous consequences if China found itself in such a position.

The safety and security of China's food supply remains one of the country's top political issues.