China Contributes to Global Food Security

中国致力于保障全球粮食安全

China’s Consul General in Lagos Chu Maoming

驻拉各斯总领事储茂明

16 June 2022

2022年6月16日

Recently, a few people in some Western countries have been accusing China of “hoarding grains” in the international market. They demand more actions from China for global food security.

近期，个别西方国家批评中国在国际市场“囤积粮食”，并要求中国为全球粮食安全采取更多行动。

I must point out that the Chinese government always attaches great importance to the issue of food security. China follows a vision on food security that is centered on “self-sufficiency in grain supply and absolute security of staple grains”. The year 2021 marks the seventh consecutive year that China secured an annual grain production of over 650 million tonnes. China stands as the world’s largest grain producer and third largest grain exporter. China has the capability and confidence of being self-reliant in securing her own food supply. It is unnecessary for China to “hoard grains” in the international market.

我必须指出的是，中国政府始终高度重视粮食安全问题，并奉行“谷物基本自给、口粮绝对安全”的粮食安全观。到2021年，中国实现粮食年产量连续七年超过6.5亿吨。作为世界第一大粮食生产国和第三大粮食出口国，中国有能力，也有信心依靠自身力量把中国人的饭碗牢牢地端在自己手上，没有必要去国际市场“囤积粮食”。

China has managed to feed one fifth of the world’s population with a quarter of the world’s total food production on less than 9% of the world’s arable land. This achievement is in itself a significant contribution to world food security. In the meantime, China has shown its responsibility as a major country and made positive contributions to ensuring global food security. Under the Global Development Initiative put forward by China, food security is one of the eight priority areas of cooperation. China will mobilize efforts from all parties across the globe to draw on each other’s advantages, and pool the strength for achieving all sustainable development goals including food security. China has always been an important strategic partner of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in South-South cooperation. In recent years, China has donated a total of $130 million to the FAO’s South-South Cooperation Programme. China has sent a large number of experts and technical personnel to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and to Pacific Island Countries. China has donated the largest amount of fund, sent the most experts, and undertaken the most projects under the framework of the FAO’s South-South Cooperation Programme among all developing countries. Since the start of COVID-19, China has responded actively to the appeal of the United Nations and other international organizations by providing emergency food assistance to many countries. China’s contribution to stabilizing world food production and supply has been widely praised by the international community.

中国用不足全球9%的土地实现了约占世界四分之一的粮食产量，养活了世界五分之一的人口，本身就是对世界粮食安全的重大贡献。同时，中国展现大国担当，为保障全球粮食安全作出积极贡献。中方提出的全球发展倡议，把粮食安全作为八大重点合作领域之一，将在全球范围内动员各方力量，推动优势互补，为实现包括粮食安全在内的所有可持续发展目标汇聚最大合力。中国一直是联合国粮农组织南南合作的重要战略伙伴。近年来，我们累计向粮农组织南南合作基金捐款1.3亿美元，向亚洲、非洲、拉美和加勒比地区、太平洋岛国派遣了大批专家和技术人员，是联合国粮农组织南南合作框架下资金援助最多、派出专家最多、开展项目最多的发展中国家。新冠肺炎疫情发生以来，中方积极响应联合国等国际组织倡议，向一些国家提供紧急粮食援助。中方为稳定世界粮食生产和供应作出的积极贡献，受到国际社会普遍赞赏。

Besides, China actively advocates reducing food loss and food waste. If the world can reduce food loss by one percentage point, we can save up to 28 million tonnes of food that is enough to feed 70 million people. President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of food conservation on many occasions. In 2021, China held the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste, which received warm response from the international community including G20 member states.

此外，中方还积极倡导粮食减损和减少浪费。世界粮食减损一个百分点，就相当于减少2800万吨损失，可多养活7000万人。习近平主席多次强调要加强粮食节约工作。2021年中国举办了国际粮食减损大会，得到包括二十国集团成员在内的国际社会积极响应。

I am sad to see that in many developing countries with food shortage, people do not have enough to eat while in some developed countries, food often goes uneaten and gets dumped in trash cans. The amount of food wasted in developed countries each year is nearly as much as the sum of food produced in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Department of Agriculture of the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40% of the food supply in the country. In 2018, food waste in the United States totaled 103 million tons, with an approximate value of $161 billion.

我也遗憾地看到，不少发展中国家面临粮食短缺，一碗分成两碗吃；部分发达国家则“暴殄天物”，一碗吃一碗倒。发达国家每年食物浪费量接近撒哈拉以南非洲所产食物的总和。根据美国农业部的数据，美国每年有30—40%的食物被浪费，2018年食物浪费总量就达1.03亿吨，价值1610亿美元。

China urges relevant countries to reduce food waste, fulfill their due international obligations and shoulder more international responsibilities. Instead of racking their brains to make an issue of other countries, they should do their own homework well, take earnest efforts to save food, maintain the steady operation of international trade in agricultural products and help developing countries improve the capacity of food production in order to uphold global food security.

中国敦促有关国家减少不必要的食物浪费，履行应有国际义务，承担更多国际责任。与其绞尽脑汁拿别国做文章，不如从自身做起，踏踏实实做好食物节约，维护国际农产品贸易平稳运行，帮助发展中国家提高粮食生产能力，切实维护全球粮食安全。

The more difficult the situation is, the more important it is for people to enhance solidarity. At a time when the international food supply chain is coming under impact, China calls on all countries to shoulder common responsibility. Countries across the globe should increase food supply by stabilizing production and ensuring smooth supply, and at the same time reduce food loss and food waste and make earnest efforts in food conservation in order to safeguard global food security.

越是在困难面前，越应同舟共济。在当前国际粮食供应链遭受冲击的形势下，中国呼吁各国肩负共同责任，在粮食供给方面做好“加法”，确保生产稳定、颗粒归仓、供应畅通；在粮食损失与浪费方面做好“减法”，踏踏实实做好食物节约，切实维护全球粮食安全。