BEIJING –
China, the world’s largest importer of agricultural products, has set goals to dramatically reduce its dependence on foreign purchases over the next decade in line with its push for food security, but these will be extremely difficult to achieve, experts say.
With limited land and water, China will need to sharply increase agricultural productivity through technology, including genetically modified crops, and expand acreage to meet Beijing’s 10-year projections.
The government projects 92% self-sufficiency in basic grains and beans by 2033, up from 84% in 2021-2023, according to a document released in late April, moving toward Chinese President Xi Jinping’s goal of a to become an ‘agricultural power’. by mid-century.
