Inventiva by Priyadharshini Varadharajan December 7, 2020
China Under Food Crisis: Is the Situation So Worse in China That They Are Forced To Import 100,000 Tons Of Rice From India After 30 Years?
For the first time in 30 years, China has been forced to buy rice from India. Why? Because rice is the staple food item for two-third of Chinese and china may not have enough of it. A few months ago, there was news about how China can be facing a bigger food crisis. The coronavirus, floods, epidemics, locus, and trade wars triggered a food shortage. With President Xi Jinping launching a public campaign to control wastage. Several Chinese experts say ‘ china could be in the middle of food crisis’ Beijing has deployed its entire media machinery to fight this charge, the state heads have made claims of food crisis’ with editorials opinion, and videos but they have not been able to kill the story and now china is buying rice from China while the border standoff continues. It could not be more clear China is short on food supply.
Rice supply from Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam has reduced. China needed more rice and began importing from India reportedly at discounted prices. Indian traders have been contracted to export 100,000 tons of broken rice for 300 dollars per ton. Broken rice is fragments of rice gain broken in the field, during drying or transport, or by milling. Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Pakistan have been China’s traditional suppliers but this time they have not been able to supply what China needs, plus they were quoting a rate that was at least 30 dollars more for a ton of rice. India is the world’s biggest rice exporter and China is the world’s biggest rice importer and China needs more rice. China needs a lot more than rice. The many crises this year have shaken up the food supply chains in China forcing the Chinese to buy up stocks of several goods from overseas.
This comes after China’s President Xi Jinping called the food wastage in China shocking and distressing. Those words have led to a public campaign in China. Earlier this year Xi Jinping had appealed. He wanted the Chinese to clean their plates. This statement kicked off a campaign to conserve food, leading many to believe that China is witnessing a shortage. Months after his appeal, China has launched a global hunt for grains. 2020 might likely be the year the president would like to forget. His list of problems kept increasing, beginning with the coronavirus that led to record unemployment, poverty, and economic slowdown, and a global backlash. Now, China could be struggling to ensure it has enough food for every citizen.
More:
https://www.inventiva.co.in/stories/china-under-food-crisis-is-the-situation-so-worse-in-china-that-they-are-forced-to-import-100000-tons-of-rice-from-india-after-30-years/
