How expensive is a grain of wheat ? On the northern shore of the Black Sea , the formerly busy Ukraine largest port Port of Odessa was unusually deserted. The "European granary" that once exported an average of more than 5 million tons of grains per month has almost stopped exporting wheat. In the first quarter of this year, global grain prices rose by nearly 20% year-on-year, with wheat prices rising by 60%.
How much does a grain of wheat weigh? The World Bank estimates that for every percentage point increase in food prices, 10 million people around the world will fall into extreme poverty. The World Food Program issued a warning that mankind may face " the largest food crisis since World War II ."
How fragrant is a grain of wheat? Under the bright summer sun, wheat matures in the Yellow River floodplain area of China. Farmer Zhang Xiaoliang threw a new grain of wheat into his mouth, and it made a crisp sound, full and chewy. The good harvest obtained after hard work is particularly fragrant.
Wheat is the staple food for more than one-third of the world's population. It is also the staple food for 40% of the population in China, or about 5.6 billion people. Wheat is more than just rations. It is an embodiment and symbol of agricultural civilization. Historically, wheat once drove China's agricultural revolution , nurtured the wealth and prosperity of the Central Plains dynasty, and fundamentally affected the rise and fall of the politics, economy, and culture of the Central Plains region.
"A grain of grain can save a country, or it can also stumble a country." This sentence by Academician Yuan Longping represents the Chinese people's understanding of the grain causal chain.
The south wind blows in May, and the smell of new wheat comes. At present, the national wheat harvest is coming to an end. Generally speaking, the national wheat production this year has increased compared with last year, and a bumper harvest is a foregone conclusion. "China Grain" once again handed over an important answer sheet.
International food crisis, can China’s rice bowl be stable?
Food shortages and soaring food prices are symptoms, but more of a reflection of the past. But in the future, the driving factors behind these phenomena are still fermenting and intensifying:
the world's largest exporter of nitrogen fertilizer and the second largest producer of potassium fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer Russia's fertilizer exports are restricted, resulting in global fertilizer Rising prices have significantly pushed up the cost of growing grain; the global grain industry chain and supply chain have been damaged, and more than 20 countries have implemented grain export restrictions; multinational grain merchants have taken the opportunity to speculate, pushing up grain futures prices to make profits, creating a hunger panic and a vicious cycle of trade protection.
Amidst the global heated discussion about food, some people have begun to focus on China. Many people want to know, what is China doing during this global food crisis? What will China do?
There is no lack of expectations, there is no lack of worries, and there are even conflicting opinions. For example, some people believe that China is hoarding grain in the international market, exacerbating the rise in grain prices, and the subtext is that China does not have enough grain; others believe that China should "open up warehouses and release grain" to the world, and the premise is that China has too much grain.
Regardless of the true intention behind these statements, China is willing to interpret them with sincere goodwill as anxiety about the food crisis, and China is also willing to do its best to shoulder the responsibilities of a major country.
Externally, China has been making active efforts to ensure global food security. Under the special circumstances of the epidemic, we provided emergency food assistance to some countries; for a long time, we dispatched a large number of agricultural experts and technical personnel to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Pacific Island countries. When it is time to contribute money, China has donated a total of US$130 million to the South-South Cooperation Fund of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in recent years; when it is time to contribute, the global development initiative proposed by China lists food security as one of the eight key areas of cooperation, gathering the greatest synergy on a global scale. .
However, we also know that with a population of 1.4 billion in China, maintaining domestic food stability is the greatest contribution to global food security; once there is a problem with China's food, 1.4 billion people will open their mouths to buy food all over the world, which will bring negative consequences to the international food market. What a shock!
No matter whether it is China or the world, nothing is more important than stabilizing China's rice bowl. With this bumper harvest of summer grain, the Chinese have once again demonstrated the actions and responsibilities of a responsible big country.
Summer grain output accounts for more than 1/4 of the total annual grain output and is the first step in annual grain production. The first battle is important every year, but this year is especially important and difficult.
From an economic perspective, the complex evolution of the international situation and the ups and downs of the epidemic have brought considerable impact to the Chinese economy and increased downward pressure. Food prices are the basis of all prices. If there is a problem with food at this time, it is likely to lead to rising prices and put greater pressure on stabilizing the economy.
From a social perspective, food is the most important thing for the people, and food has never been just an ordinary commodity. The current development environment is becoming more severe and uncertain, and it is even more necessary to consolidate the certainty of food security. Over the past two years of epidemic prevention and control, we have experienced several megacities with tens of millions of people living at home, and we have maintained social stability and stability. It is precisely because people have this confidence: no matter what the circumstances and which city they live in, they will at least have food. It's enough. Only when food is stable can people's hearts be stable and the overall situation be stable.
This year is the year of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The epidemic must be prevented, the economy must be stable, and development must be safe. The foundation for implementing the central government's requirements lies in food stability. Specifically at the moment, we are trying to stabilize summer grain production this season.
Today, the wind blows the waves of wheat and the farm machinery rumbles, finally ushering in the moment of harvest. Rather than becoming the next "pressure point" for rising global wheat prices, China has become a powerful "stabilizer" for the international grain market. China has once again demonstrated its confidence in food to itself and the world.
is fighting against . How to get back the 15 days that were delayed?
Looking back on the past seven months, the battle to defend the summer grain harvest has been extremely arduous. It can be described as a "last-ditch battle." The main reason is that a rare autumn flood last year caused a delay of about 15 days in sowing wheat on 110 million acres of wheat across the country, accounting for almost the entire wheat area in the country. 1/3.
15 days, what does this number mean? In the interlocking wheat production, a delay of one day may affect the whole season. The 15-day late sowing directly resulted in the worst wheat seedling condition in the past 10 years this year, posing unprecedented challenges to achieving a bumper harvest.
Late sowing of wheat will also increase the amount of seeds and fertilizers used. The increase in these two costs, coupled with the increase in the price of agricultural capital itself, is also a huge sum of money for large growers. This year, the epidemic occurred during some critical farming seasons, and some places encountered difficulties in coordination, which also caused some congestion for farmers to farm and agricultural machinery to travel across regions. The goal of
is to only win but not lose, but at the beginning, it got a "bad hand". If God doesn't help people's efforts, they can only fight against the odds!
html For the two types of food, you first have to look at the area. The area must be stabilized first before we can talk about harvest.At the beginning of this year, the 2022 grain production target was approved by the State Council and distributed to all regions by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to ensure that the grain area will only increase rather than decrease. Faced with the impact of autumn floods, various regions are doing everything possible to stabilize the winter wheat sowing area. In Henan, the secretary of the county party committee and the county magistrate serve as the commanders of the county-level "Three Summers", and those who delay the farming season and fail to complete the sowing tasks will be strictly held accountable; Hebei provides a subsidy of 150 yuan per mu for "planting wheat after the beginning of winter", and all The winter wheat area in the province not only did not decrease, but also increased compared with the previous year.
If you work hard, you can sow as much as you can. In the end, the winter wheat area across the country remained basically the same as last year, reaching more than 330 million acres, laying the foundation for a bumper harvest.
With the area available, planting good land depends on the enthusiasm of farmers. Throughout the growing period of winter wheat this year, favorable policies have been available at almost every critical farming season, sending positive signals.
In November last year, as soon as wheat was sown, the central government allocated 1.4 billion yuan in special funds to the main producing areas. In March this year, during the rejuvenation and jointing period, the central government allocated 1.6 billion yuan and 2 billion yuan to support wheat production, and distributed 20 billion yuan in subsidies to farmers who actually grew the grain. On the eve of the summer grain harvest in May, the central government once again issued 10 billion yuan in subsidies to farmers who actually grow grain. Waves of real gold and silver support have alleviated the cost pressure of rising agricultural input prices and stabilized farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain.
But wheat is not an industrial product, and it doesn’t just work at full speed. The growth of wheat is governed by the rhythm of the farming season, which also tests the accuracy of technology.
Looking back on this year's wheat production history, there is a tough battle that can be said to be the key to the battle for output. This is the "promoting weak to strong" in wheat seedling management this year.
In the cold winter of December, the newly born wheat seedlings in previous years were already green and covered the ground. But last winter, in some fields, the wheat seedlings had not yet grown up and were buried in the soil. Some of the wheat seedlings that grew out were as thin as needles, which is called "The earth covers" and "a needle". According to statistics, there are more than 1 million acres of "soil cover" in Hebei Province alone. Some "old hands" who have been growing crops for many years are worried. They know that if there is no good way, the harvest is likely to fail in the future. What to do with
? Try every possible means to save him! But just like when a patient recovers, he cannot eat a lot of food and drink all at once. He must first drink a small bowl of porridge to adjust his body. When taking care of weak seedlings, flood irrigation and fertilization should not be carried out. Otherwise, it will not only increase the cost, but may also have counterproductive effects.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs urgently organized experts to formulate a technical plan for promoting the transformation of weak wheat into strong ones. As soon as the wheat turned green, more than 100 government officials and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences30 science and technology teams went deep into the fields of the 11 main producing provinces across the country. Guidance on wheat field management. The power of agricultural and rural departments at all levels in various places has also been put on the front line of production, guiding agricultural technicians and farmers to work hard on the word "accuracy".
For example, in the past, wheat was often watered after sowing, but now it depends on whether it is a first-class seedling, a second-class seedling, or a third-class seedling. The timing of watering is different for different types. Another example is fertilization. How big is the area of a piece of land? How does the wheat look? What is the production target? Based on these factors, a wheat growth chart and a fertilization prescription chart are drawn, and then fertilizers are specially formulated according to these two charts, thus achieving "customized" fertilization, with no extra or no waste.
Various technologies are gathered in a wheat field, and agricultural technicians are "immersed" in the field to guide them step by step. No wonder some farmers lamented that "it won't work without a good harvest."
competes with God for time to recover the output. The "bad cards" had the last laugh. This year, the country not only achieved a bumper wheat harvest, but also achieved an increase in production.
has withstood pressure time and time again. Where does the resilience of Chinese food come from?
Food abundance and abundance are natural laws, and it is inevitable that there will be good years and bad years. This is definitely true if we look at natural factors such as climate, geography, and biology. So, how to explain that our country’s food has withstood the pressure time and time again? Especially this year’s summer grain counterattack?
Perhaps, the aforementioned wheat "promoting weak to strong" campaign can best answer this question. It is the human factor that gives China's grain a strong driving force, huge room for maneuver, and indomitable resilience.
Of course, this kind of resilience is not about fighting nature or violating laws, but following the trend on the basis of respecting and applying laws. It is about responding to the situation within the critical line of disaster controllability. It is about technology, mechanisms, policies, etc. Riding on the momentum of aspect coupling.
For example, pests and diseases, as early as in "Historical Records ", the terrible scene of "locusts covering the world" was recorded. In the spring of 1950, just as people were preparing to harvest the first crop of grain sown in New China, stripe rust, known as "wheat cancer", raged, causing a loss of 12 billion kilograms of wheat production across the country, and "one out of every three steamed buns was lost."
However, in just a few decades, many "natural disasters" that once made people laugh seem to have disappeared. But this is not a natural death process. If you zoom into the biological world and see how humans accurately snipe pests and diseases from a microscopic perspective, it will be as exciting as a war movie.
Take wheat stripe rust as an example. Contrary to what many people imagine, the war between humans and pathogens is not in the main wheat-producing areas of the Central Plains, but in western China at 37 degrees to 38 degrees north latitude.
There is not much wheat area there, so why has it become the main battlefield for the decisive battle? It turns out that the cunning bacteria overwinter there, and then use high-altitude air currents to spread to the main production areas of Huanghuaihai in spring. Once this "life-and-death line" is crossed and the main production area is reached, the difficulty of prevention and control becomes greatly increased. Therefore, by guarding this line, the epidemic of stripe rust across the country can be cut off at minimal cost.
This is a sign of the power of technology. In addition, there are molecular breeding, unmanned agricultural machinery, the Internet of Things... Technology is appearing in the field of food production in an amazing manner, providing a strong impetus for the resilience and resistance of "Chinese Grain".
Moderate scale operation is an effective organizational method for "China Grain" to be strong and resistant to pressure.Because of moderation, we have explored the path of using " three rights separation " to solve property rights issues and using social services to solve production and operation problems. Because of the scale, farmers can grow grain more efficiently and have greater confidence in resisting natural and market risks.
Large grain growers, cooperatives, and social service organizations, these new business entities grow hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of acres of land. It may seem like a rough job, but in fact it is often more meticulous. “You don’t have to follow a columbine to plant the land, you don’t need a shovel to water, you don’t go into the field to spray pesticides, you don’t need a field to dry the grain, and you don’t have to be busy selling the grain.” Some farmers summarized the benefits of socialized custody services this way. In recent years, especially during the critical period of food production, when farmers were stranded in cities and isolated at home due to the epidemic, this organizational method has played the role of a food "emergency guard team." The support of
policies has laid a solid foundation for "China Grain" to be strong and resistant to pressure. In recent years, from subsidies to corn and soybean producers, to minimum purchase price policies for rice and wheat, to complete cost insurance and full coverage of planting income insurance for the three major staple grains, grain production subsidies have continued to increase while also being continuously optimized, guiding grain production to be sustainable. plays an important role in sustainable development. The rice bowl is served together, and the responsibilities are shouldered together. The party and government share the responsibility for food security. The governor must be responsible for the "rice bag", and the secretary must also be responsible, so as to more fully mobilize the power of all parties in society.
works tirelessly and finally gets something. The Chinese people use their efforts day after day to tell the world: There is a kind of resilience called "Chinese food", a kind of confidence called "Chinese food", and a kind of strength called "Chinese food".
Food security, what are the winning factors for the Chinese path?
Looking back at the history of summer grain production since the 21st century, different regions have had good times and bad, and different crops have increased and decreased. There have even been slight declines in individual years due to extreme weather and other reasons. However, as can be seen from the overall trend chart, summer grain production has been a It is steadily improving step by step, with an increase of more than 50% since the beginning of the century.
has steadily embarked on a Chinese-style food development path. What are the winning factors on this path?
In fact, compared with other countries, China’s material conditions for grain production have no advantages. In terms of resources, we only have 9% of the world's arable land, and a lot of corner land has to be developed; in terms of technology, some countries that have already started large-scale machinery production are more efficient than us.
But there is one thing that few countries can do like ours. This has also become the most fundamental feature of the Chinese path, that is, China's "dead struggle" with food security and its obsession with focusing on agriculture and grain. What China wants is "zero risk", what it wants is a "big account", and it is following the path of "building a stronghold and fighting a stupid war".
The so-called "dumbness" is reflected in the goal. There may also be "smart ways" to produce food, such as giving up if the cost of disaster relief is too high, or not planting if the price is unfavorable. The essence of the "smart road" is to value money more than food, and only regard food as a simple cash crop and ordinary material. Economic accounts cannot be ignored, but the internal and external environment must also be looked at, and major considerations must be taken. Although money and food are sometimes the same thing, the more turbulent the time, the less they are the same thing. In recent years, the tendency of politicization and weaponization of food issues has begun to rise again in the world. Food security is a bottom-line issue of "nothing is lost" for China. It is the foundation of the country and the people's life. Therefore, our goal must be "stay", and focusing on food is Paying attention to food and not making conceptual changes is not considered a temporary account. The so-called "hardness" of
is reflected in the method. Don’t seek to be fast, but seek to be steady and steady every step you take; don’t try to be cunning, but stick to the high road no matter how difficult it is, don’t take shortcuts, and stay away from the wrong path; don’t give up, and treat every acre of land and every plant with a “money counts” approach. Seedling. At this point, this season’s wheat is the best proof. Even in the face of the "worst start of the seedlings in the past 10 years", we still go all out, every little bit we recover is a little bit, and every extra pound is worth a pound. A good harvest is the best reward for this method. Let’s talk about scale. Over the years, we have not pursued speed, nor have we taken tricks, nor have we pursued the idea that bigger is better. We have always been based on the national conditions of my country’s large number of small farmers, giving small farmers sufficient time to choose, giving the grassroots sufficient space for innovation, and giving system testing. With sufficient historical patience, China finally found the answer to the organic connection between small farmers and modern agriculture.
The Chinese-style food development path of "strengthening the stronghold and fighting the war" seems to be slow and clumsy, but it is steady and far-reaching. This is also the Chinese civilization's great successes and shortcomings. wisdom.
Of course, routines cannot wait for changes, and we cannot cope with the situation at the same time. dialectical thinking is also the essence of Chinese civilization. Strategically, we need to be "stupid" and "hard", but tactically, we have never lacked the wisdom of contingency planning.
We coordinate grain production in different regions and divide the country into 13 main grain-producing areas based on different climate and geographical conditions. We plant winter wheat in the North China Plain, spring wheat in the Northeast Plain, and plant rice south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. wait. Coordinate both domestic and international markets, continue to build a diversified import pattern, and achieve rational utilization of resources. Coordinate potential production capacity and actual output. If an unexpected situation affects the unit yield, the area will be used to make up for it, leaving room for movement. It is these extremely intelligent ways of adapting to situations that ensure that we can use our bodies and arms as we should when dealing with various problems and challenges.
China's wheat "China's Grain", this season's harvest is also the prelude to a new season of work. People in this hot land are following the path of high-quality development of Chinese-style grains. In the rhythm of spring growth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage, they work hard and continue to struggle, using one bumper harvest after another to demonstrate the "Chinese Grain" Resilience demonstrates the confidence of "China Grain".
Author: Zhong Nongping
Source: Farmers Daily
From an economic perspective, the complex evolution of the international situation and the ups and downs of the epidemic have brought considerable impact to the Chinese economy and increased downward pressure. Food prices are the basis of all prices. If there is a problem with food at this time, it is likely to lead to rising prices and put greater pressure on stabilizing the economy.
From a social perspective, food is the most important thing for the people, and food has never been just an ordinary commodity. The current development environment is becoming more severe and uncertain, and it is even more necessary to consolidate the certainty of food security. Over the past two years of epidemic prevention and control, we have experienced several megacities with tens of millions of people living at home, and we have maintained social stability and stability. It is precisely because people have this confidence: no matter what the circumstances and which city they live in, they will at least have food. It's enough. Only when food is stable can people's hearts be stable and the overall situation be stable.
This year is the year of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The epidemic must be prevented, the economy must be stable, and development must be safe. The foundation for implementing the central government's requirements lies in food stability. Specifically at the moment, we are trying to stabilize summer grain production this season.
Today, the wind blows the waves of wheat and the farm machinery rumbles, finally ushering in the moment of harvest. Rather than becoming the next "pressure point" for rising global wheat prices, China has become a powerful "stabilizer" for the international grain market. China has once again demonstrated its confidence in food to itself and the world.
is fighting against . How to get back the 15 days that were delayed?
Looking back on the past seven months, the battle to defend the summer grain harvest has been extremely arduous. It can be described as a "last-ditch battle." The main reason is that a rare autumn flood last year caused a delay of about 15 days in sowing wheat on 110 million acres of wheat across the country, accounting for almost the entire wheat area in the country. 1/3.
15 days, what does this number mean? In the interlocking wheat production, a delay of one day may affect the whole season. The 15-day late sowing directly resulted in the worst wheat seedling condition in the past 10 years this year, posing unprecedented challenges to achieving a bumper harvest.
Late sowing of wheat will also increase the amount of seeds and fertilizers used. The increase in these two costs, coupled with the increase in the price of agricultural capital itself, is also a huge sum of money for large growers. This year, the epidemic occurred during some critical farming seasons, and some places encountered difficulties in coordination, which also caused some congestion for farmers to farm and agricultural machinery to travel across regions. The goal of
is to only win but not lose, but at the beginning, it got a "bad hand". If God doesn't help people's efforts, they can only fight against the odds!
html For the two types of food, you first have to look at the area. The area must be stabilized first before we can talk about harvest.At the beginning of this year, the 2022 grain production target was approved by the State Council and distributed to all regions by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to ensure that the grain area will only increase rather than decrease. Faced with the impact of autumn floods, various regions are doing everything possible to stabilize the winter wheat sowing area. In Henan, the secretary of the county party committee and the county magistrate serve as the commanders of the county-level "Three Summers", and those who delay the farming season and fail to complete the sowing tasks will be strictly held accountable; Hebei provides a subsidy of 150 yuan per mu for "planting wheat after the beginning of winter", and all The winter wheat area in the province not only did not decrease, but also increased compared with the previous year.
If you work hard, you can sow as much as you can. In the end, the winter wheat area across the country remained basically the same as last year, reaching more than 330 million acres, laying the foundation for a bumper harvest.
With the area available, planting good land depends on the enthusiasm of farmers. Throughout the growing period of winter wheat this year, favorable policies have been available at almost every critical farming season, sending positive signals.
In November last year, as soon as wheat was sown, the central government allocated 1.4 billion yuan in special funds to the main producing areas. In March this year, during the rejuvenation and jointing period, the central government allocated 1.6 billion yuan and 2 billion yuan to support wheat production, and distributed 20 billion yuan in subsidies to farmers who actually grew the grain. On the eve of the summer grain harvest in May, the central government once again issued 10 billion yuan in subsidies to farmers who actually grow grain. Waves of real gold and silver support have alleviated the cost pressure of rising agricultural input prices and stabilized farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain.
But wheat is not an industrial product, and it doesn’t just work at full speed. The growth of wheat is governed by the rhythm of the farming season, which also tests the accuracy of technology.
Looking back on this year's wheat production history, there is a tough battle that can be said to be the key to the battle for output. This is the "promoting weak to strong" in wheat seedling management this year.
In the cold winter of December, the newly born wheat seedlings in previous years were already green and covered the ground. But last winter, in some fields, the wheat seedlings had not yet grown up and were buried in the soil. Some of the wheat seedlings that grew out were as thin as needles, which is called "The earth covers" and "a needle". According to statistics, there are more than 1 million acres of "soil cover" in Hebei Province alone. Some "old hands" who have been growing crops for many years are worried. They know that if there is no good way, the harvest is likely to fail in the future. What to do with
? Try every possible means to save him! But just like when a patient recovers, he cannot eat a lot of food and drink all at once. He must first drink a small bowl of porridge to adjust his body. When taking care of weak seedlings, flood irrigation and fertilization should not be carried out. Otherwise, it will not only increase the cost, but may also have counterproductive effects.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs urgently organized experts to formulate a technical plan for promoting the transformation of weak wheat into strong ones. As soon as the wheat turned green, more than 100 government officials and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences30 science and technology teams went deep into the fields of the 11 main producing provinces across the country. Guidance on wheat field management. The power of agricultural and rural departments at all levels in various places has also been put on the front line of production, guiding agricultural technicians and farmers to work hard on the word "accuracy".
For example, in the past, wheat was often watered after sowing, but now it depends on whether it is a first-class seedling, a second-class seedling, or a third-class seedling. The timing of watering is different for different types. Another example is fertilization. How big is the area of a piece of land? How does the wheat look? What is the production target? Based on these factors, a wheat growth chart and a fertilization prescription chart are drawn, and then fertilizers are specially formulated according to these two charts, thus achieving "customized" fertilization, with no extra or no waste.
Various technologies are gathered in a wheat field, and agricultural technicians are "immersed" in the field to guide them step by step. No wonder some farmers lamented that "it won't work without a good harvest."
competes with God for time to recover the output. The "bad cards" had the last laugh. This year, the country not only achieved a bumper wheat harvest, but also achieved an increase in production.
has withstood pressure time and time again. Where does the resilience of Chinese food come from?
Food abundance and abundance are natural laws, and it is inevitable that there will be good years and bad years. This is definitely true if we look at natural factors such as climate, geography, and biology. So, how to explain that our country’s food has withstood the pressure time and time again? Especially this year’s summer grain counterattack?
Perhaps, the aforementioned wheat "promoting weak to strong" campaign can best answer this question. It is the human factor that gives China's grain a strong driving force, huge room for maneuver, and indomitable resilience.
Of course, this kind of resilience is not about fighting nature or violating laws, but following the trend on the basis of respecting and applying laws. It is about responding to the situation within the critical line of disaster controllability. It is about technology, mechanisms, policies, etc. Riding on the momentum of aspect coupling.
For example, pests and diseases, as early as in "Historical Records ", the terrible scene of "locusts covering the world" was recorded. In the spring of 1950, just as people were preparing to harvest the first crop of grain sown in New China, stripe rust, known as "wheat cancer", raged, causing a loss of 12 billion kilograms of wheat production across the country, and "one out of every three steamed buns was lost."
However, in just a few decades, many "natural disasters" that once made people laugh seem to have disappeared. But this is not a natural death process. If you zoom into the biological world and see how humans accurately snipe pests and diseases from a microscopic perspective, it will be as exciting as a war movie.
Take wheat stripe rust as an example. Contrary to what many people imagine, the war between humans and pathogens is not in the main wheat-producing areas of the Central Plains, but in western China at 37 degrees to 38 degrees north latitude.
There is not much wheat area there, so why has it become the main battlefield for the decisive battle? It turns out that the cunning bacteria overwinter there, and then use high-altitude air currents to spread to the main production areas of Huanghuaihai in spring. Once this "life-and-death line" is crossed and the main production area is reached, the difficulty of prevention and control becomes greatly increased. Therefore, by guarding this line, the epidemic of stripe rust across the country can be cut off at minimal cost.
This is a sign of the power of technology. In addition, there are molecular breeding, unmanned agricultural machinery, the Internet of Things... Technology is appearing in the field of food production in an amazing manner, providing a strong impetus for the resilience and resistance of "Chinese Grain".
Moderate scale operation is an effective organizational method for "China Grain" to be strong and resistant to pressure.
How expensive is a grain of wheat ? On the northern shore of the Black Sea , the formerly busy Ukraine largest port Port of Odessa was unusually deserted. The "European granary" that once exported an average of more than 5 million tons of grains per month has almost stopped exporting wheat. In the first quarter of this year, global grain prices rose by nearly 20% year-on-year, with wheat prices rising by 60%.
How much does a grain of wheat weigh? The World Bank estimates that for every percentage point increase in food prices, 10 million people around the world will fall into extreme poverty. The World Food Program issued a warning that mankind may face " the largest food crisis since World War II ."
How fragrant is a grain of wheat? Under the bright summer sun, wheat matures in the Yellow River floodplain area of China. Farmer Zhang Xiaoliang threw a new grain of wheat into his mouth, and it made a crisp sound, full and chewy. The good harvest obtained after hard work is particularly fragrant.
Wheat is the staple food for more than one-third of the world's population. It is also the staple food for 40% of the population in China, or about 5.6 billion people. Wheat is more than just rations. It is an embodiment and symbol of agricultural civilization. Historically, wheat once drove China's agricultural revolution , nurtured the wealth and prosperity of the Central Plains dynasty, and fundamentally affected the rise and fall of the politics, economy, and culture of the Central Plains region.
"A grain of grain can save a country, or it can also stumble a country." This sentence by Academician Yuan Longping represents the Chinese people's understanding of the grain causal chain.
The south wind blows in May, and the smell of new wheat comes. At present, the national wheat harvest is coming to an end. Generally speaking, the national wheat production this year has increased compared with last year, and a bumper harvest is a foregone conclusion. "China Grain" once again handed over an important answer sheet.
International food crisis, can China’s rice bowl be stable?
Food shortages and soaring food prices are symptoms, but more of a reflection of the past. But in the future, the driving factors behind these phenomena are still fermenting and intensifying:
the world's largest exporter of nitrogen fertilizer and the second largest producer of potassium fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer Russia's fertilizer exports are restricted, resulting in global fertilizer Rising prices have significantly pushed up the cost of growing grain; the global grain industry chain and supply chain have been damaged, and more than 20 countries have implemented grain export restrictions; multinational grain merchants have taken the opportunity to speculate, pushing up grain futures prices to make profits, creating a hunger panic and a vicious cycle of trade protection.
Amidst the global heated discussion about food, some people have begun to focus on China. Many people want to know, what is China doing during this global food crisis? What will China do?
There is no lack of expectations, there is no lack of worries, and there are even conflicting opinions. For example, some people believe that China is hoarding grain in the international market, exacerbating the rise in grain prices, and the subtext is that China does not have enough grain; others believe that China should "open up warehouses and release grain" to the world, and the premise is that China has too much grain.
Regardless of the true intention behind these statements, China is willing to interpret them with sincere goodwill as anxiety about the food crisis, and China is also willing to do its best to shoulder the responsibilities of a major country.
Externally, China has been making active efforts to ensure global food security. Under the special circumstances of the epidemic, we provided emergency food assistance to some countries; for a long time, we dispatched a large number of agricultural experts and technical personnel to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Pacific Island countries. When it is time to contribute money, China has donated a total of US$130 million to the South-South Cooperation Fund of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in recent years; when it is time to contribute, the global development initiative proposed by China lists food security as one of the eight key areas of cooperation, gathering the greatest synergy on a global scale. .
However, we also know that with a population of 1.4 billion in China, maintaining domestic food stability is the greatest contribution to global food security; once there is a problem with China's food, 1.4 billion people will open their mouths to buy food all over the world, which will bring negative consequences to the international food market. What a shock!
No matter whether it is China or the world, nothing is more important than stabilizing China's rice bowl. With this bumper harvest of summer grain, the Chinese have once again demonstrated the actions and responsibilities of a responsible big country.
Summer grain output accounts for more than 1/4 of the total annual grain output and is the first step in annual grain production. The first battle is important every year, but this year is especially important and difficult.
From an economic perspective, the complex evolution of the international situation and the ups and downs of the epidemic have brought considerable impact to the Chinese economy and increased downward pressure. Food prices are the basis of all prices. If there is a problem with food at this time, it is likely to lead to rising prices and put greater pressure on stabilizing the economy.
From a social perspective, food is the most important thing for the people, and food has never been just an ordinary commodity. The current development environment is becoming more severe and uncertain, and it is even more necessary to consolidate the certainty of food security. Over the past two years of epidemic prevention and control, we have experienced several megacities with tens of millions of people living at home, and we have maintained social stability and stability. It is precisely because people have this confidence: no matter what the circumstances and which city they live in, they will at least have food. It's enough. Only when food is stable can people's hearts be stable and the overall situation be stable.
This year is the year of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The epidemic must be prevented, the economy must be stable, and development must be safe. The foundation for implementing the central government's requirements lies in food stability. Specifically at the moment, we are trying to stabilize summer grain production this season.
Today, the wind blows the waves of wheat and the farm machinery rumbles, finally ushering in the moment of harvest. Rather than becoming the next "pressure point" for rising global wheat prices, China has become a powerful "stabilizer" for the international grain market. China has once again demonstrated its confidence in food to itself and the world.
is fighting against . How to get back the 15 days that were delayed?
Looking back on the past seven months, the battle to defend the summer grain harvest has been extremely arduous. It can be described as a "last-ditch battle." The main reason is that a rare autumn flood last year caused a delay of about 15 days in sowing wheat on 110 million acres of wheat across the country, accounting for almost the entire wheat area in the country. 1/3.
15 days, what does this number mean? In the interlocking wheat production, a delay of one day may affect the whole season. The 15-day late sowing directly resulted in the worst wheat seedling condition in the past 10 years this year, posing unprecedented challenges to achieving a bumper harvest.
Late sowing of wheat will also increase the amount of seeds and fertilizers used. The increase in these two costs, coupled with the increase in the price of agricultural capital itself, is also a huge sum of money for large growers. This year, the epidemic occurred during some critical farming seasons, and some places encountered difficulties in coordination, which also caused some congestion for farmers to farm and agricultural machinery to travel across regions. The goal of
is to only win but not lose, but at the beginning, it got a "bad hand". If God doesn't help people's efforts, they can only fight against the odds!
html For the two types of food, you first have to look at the area. The area must be stabilized first before we can talk about harvest.At the beginning of this year, the 2022 grain production target was approved by the State Council and distributed to all regions by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to ensure that the grain area will only increase rather than decrease. Faced with the impact of autumn floods, various regions are doing everything possible to stabilize the winter wheat sowing area. In Henan, the secretary of the county party committee and the county magistrate serve as the commanders of the county-level "Three Summers", and those who delay the farming season and fail to complete the sowing tasks will be strictly held accountable; Hebei provides a subsidy of 150 yuan per mu for "planting wheat after the beginning of winter", and all The winter wheat area in the province not only did not decrease, but also increased compared with the previous year.
If you work hard, you can sow as much as you can. In the end, the winter wheat area across the country remained basically the same as last year, reaching more than 330 million acres, laying the foundation for a bumper harvest.
With the area available, planting good land depends on the enthusiasm of farmers. Throughout the growing period of winter wheat this year, favorable policies have been available at almost every critical farming season, sending positive signals.
In November last year, as soon as wheat was sown, the central government allocated 1.4 billion yuan in special funds to the main producing areas. In March this year, during the rejuvenation and jointing period, the central government allocated 1.6 billion yuan and 2 billion yuan to support wheat production, and distributed 20 billion yuan in subsidies to farmers who actually grew the grain. On the eve of the summer grain harvest in May, the central government once again issued 10 billion yuan in subsidies to farmers who actually grow grain. Waves of real gold and silver support have alleviated the cost pressure of rising agricultural input prices and stabilized farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain.
But wheat is not an industrial product, and it doesn’t just work at full speed. The growth of wheat is governed by the rhythm of the farming season, which also tests the accuracy of technology.
Looking back on this year's wheat production history, there is a tough battle that can be said to be the key to the battle for output. This is the "promoting weak to strong" in wheat seedling management this year.
In the cold winter of December, the newly born wheat seedlings in previous years were already green and covered the ground. But last winter, in some fields, the wheat seedlings had not yet grown up and were buried in the soil. Some of the wheat seedlings that grew out were as thin as needles, which is called "The earth covers" and "a needle". According to statistics, there are more than 1 million acres of "soil cover" in Hebei Province alone. Some "old hands" who have been growing crops for many years are worried. They know that if there is no good way, the harvest is likely to fail in the future. What to do with
? Try every possible means to save him! But just like when a patient recovers, he cannot eat a lot of food and drink all at once. He must first drink a small bowl of porridge to adjust his body. When taking care of weak seedlings, flood irrigation and fertilization should not be carried out. Otherwise, it will not only increase the cost, but may also have counterproductive effects.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs urgently organized experts to formulate a technical plan for promoting the transformation of weak wheat into strong ones. As soon as the wheat turned green, more than 100 government officials and Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences30 science and technology teams went deep into the fields of the 11 main producing provinces across the country. Guidance on wheat field management. The power of agricultural and rural departments at all levels in various places has also been put on the front line of production, guiding agricultural technicians and farmers to work hard on the word "accuracy".
For example, in the past, wheat was often watered after sowing, but now it depends on whether it is a first-class seedling, a second-class seedling, or a third-class seedling. The timing of watering is different for different types. Another example is fertilization. How big is the area of a piece of land? How does the wheat look? What is the production target? Based on these factors, a wheat growth chart and a fertilization prescription chart are drawn, and then fertilizers are specially formulated according to these two charts, thus achieving "customized" fertilization, with no extra or no waste.
Various technologies are gathered in a wheat field, and agricultural technicians are "immersed" in the field to guide them step by step. No wonder some farmers lamented that "it won't work without a good harvest."
competes with God for time to recover the output. The "bad cards" had the last laugh. This year, the country not only achieved a bumper wheat harvest, but also achieved an increase in production.
has withstood pressure time and time again. Where does the resilience of Chinese food come from?
Food abundance and abundance are natural laws, and it is inevitable that there will be good years and bad years. This is definitely true if we look at natural factors such as climate, geography, and biology. So, how to explain that our country’s food has withstood the pressure time and time again? Especially this year’s summer grain counterattack?
Perhaps, the aforementioned wheat "promoting weak to strong" campaign can best answer this question. It is the human factor that gives China's grain a strong driving force, huge room for maneuver, and indomitable resilience.
Of course, this kind of resilience is not about fighting nature or violating laws, but following the trend on the basis of respecting and applying laws. It is about responding to the situation within the critical line of disaster controllability. It is about technology, mechanisms, policies, etc. Riding on the momentum of aspect coupling.
For example, pests and diseases, as early as in "Historical Records ", the terrible scene of "locusts covering the world" was recorded. In the spring of 1950, just as people were preparing to harvest the first crop of grain sown in New China, stripe rust, known as "wheat cancer", raged, causing a loss of 12 billion kilograms of wheat production across the country, and "one out of every three steamed buns was lost."
However, in just a few decades, many "natural disasters" that once made people laugh seem to have disappeared. But this is not a natural death process. If you zoom into the biological world and see how humans accurately snipe pests and diseases from a microscopic perspective, it will be as exciting as a war movie.
Take wheat stripe rust as an example. Contrary to what many people imagine, the war between humans and pathogens is not in the main wheat-producing areas of the Central Plains, but in western China at 37 degrees to 38 degrees north latitude.
There is not much wheat area there, so why has it become the main battlefield for the decisive battle? It turns out that the cunning bacteria overwinter there, and then use high-altitude air currents to spread to the main production areas of Huanghuaihai in spring. Once this "life-and-death line" is crossed and the main production area is reached, the difficulty of prevention and control becomes greatly increased. Therefore, by guarding this line, the epidemic of stripe rust across the country can be cut off at minimal cost.
This is a sign of the power of technology. In addition, there are molecular breeding, unmanned agricultural machinery, the Internet of Things... Technology is appearing in the field of food production in an amazing manner, providing a strong impetus for the resilience and resistance of "Chinese Grain".
Moderate scale operation is an effective organizational method for "China Grain" to be strong and resistant to pressure.Because of moderation, we have explored the path of using " three rights separation " to solve property rights issues and using social services to solve production and operation problems. Because of the scale, farmers can grow grain more efficiently and have greater confidence in resisting natural and market risks.
Large grain growers, cooperatives, and social service organizations, these new business entities grow hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of acres of land. It may seem like a rough job, but in fact it is often more meticulous. “You don’t have to follow a columbine to plant the land, you don’t need a shovel to water, you don’t go into the field to spray pesticides, you don’t need a field to dry the grain, and you don’t have to be busy selling the grain.” Some farmers summarized the benefits of socialized custody services this way. In recent years, especially during the critical period of food production, when farmers were stranded in cities and isolated at home due to the epidemic, this organizational method has played the role of a food "emergency guard team." The support of
policies has laid a solid foundation for "China Grain" to be strong and resistant to pressure. In recent years, from subsidies to corn and soybean producers, to minimum purchase price policies for rice and wheat, to complete cost insurance and full coverage of planting income insurance for the three major staple grains, grain production subsidies have continued to increase while also being continuously optimized, guiding grain production to be sustainable. plays an important role in sustainable development. The rice bowl is served together, and the responsibilities are shouldered together. The party and government share the responsibility for food security. The governor must be responsible for the "rice bag", and the secretary must also be responsible, so as to more fully mobilize the power of all parties in society.
works tirelessly and finally gets something. The Chinese people use their efforts day after day to tell the world: There is a kind of resilience called "Chinese food", a kind of confidence called "Chinese food", and a kind of strength called "Chinese food".
Food security, what are the winning factors for the Chinese path?
Looking back at the history of summer grain production since the 21st century, different regions have had good times and bad, and different crops have increased and decreased. There have even been slight declines in individual years due to extreme weather and other reasons. However, as can be seen from the overall trend chart, summer grain production has been a It is steadily improving step by step, with an increase of more than 50% since the beginning of the century.
has steadily embarked on a Chinese-style food development path. What are the winning factors on this path?
In fact, compared with other countries, China’s material conditions for grain production have no advantages. In terms of resources, we only have 9% of the world's arable land, and a lot of corner land has to be developed; in terms of technology, some countries that have already started large-scale machinery production are more efficient than us.
But there is one thing that few countries can do like ours. This has also become the most fundamental feature of the Chinese path, that is, China's "dead struggle" with food security and its obsession with focusing on agriculture and grain. What China wants is "zero risk", what it wants is a "big account", and it is following the path of "building a stronghold and fighting a stupid war".
The so-called "dumbness" is reflected in the goal. There may also be "smart ways" to produce food, such as giving up if the cost of disaster relief is too high, or not planting if the price is unfavorable. The essence of the "smart road" is to value money more than food, and only regard food as a simple cash crop and ordinary material. Economic accounts cannot be ignored, but the internal and external environment must also be looked at, and major considerations must be taken. Although money and food are sometimes the same thing, the more turbulent the time, the less they are the same thing. In recent years, the tendency of politicization and weaponization of food issues has begun to rise again in the world. Food security is a bottom-line issue of "nothing is lost" for China. It is the foundation of the country and the people's life. Therefore, our goal must be "stay", and focusing on food is Paying attention to food and not making conceptual changes is not considered a temporary account. The so-called "hardness" of
is reflected in the method. Don’t seek to be fast, but seek to be steady and steady every step you take; don’t try to be cunning, but stick to the high road no matter how difficult it is, don’t take shortcuts, and stay away from the wrong path; don’t give up, and treat every acre of land and every plant with a “money counts” approach. Seedling. At this point, this season’s wheat is the best proof. Even in the face of the "worst start of the seedlings in the past 10 years", we still go all out, every little bit we recover is a little bit, and every extra pound is worth a pound. A good harvest is the best reward for this method. Let’s talk about scale. Over the years, we have not pursued speed, nor have we taken tricks, nor have we pursued the idea that bigger is better. We have always been based on the national conditions of my country’s large number of small farmers, giving small farmers sufficient time to choose, giving the grassroots sufficient space for innovation, and giving system testing. With sufficient historical patience, China finally found the answer to the organic connection between small farmers and modern agriculture.
The Chinese-style food development path of "strengthening the stronghold and fighting the war" seems to be slow and clumsy, but it is steady and far-reaching. This is also the Chinese civilization's great successes and shortcomings. wisdom.
Of course, routines cannot wait for changes, and we cannot cope with the situation at the same time. dialectical thinking is also the essence of Chinese civilization. Strategically, we need to be "stupid" and "hard", but tactically, we have never lacked the wisdom of contingency planning.
We coordinate grain production in different regions and divide the country into 13 main grain-producing areas based on different climate and geographical conditions. We plant winter wheat in the North China Plain, spring wheat in the Northeast Plain, and plant rice south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. wait. Coordinate both domestic and international markets, continue to build a diversified import pattern, and achieve rational utilization of resources. Coordinate potential production capacity and actual output. If an unexpected situation affects the unit yield, the area will be used to make up for it, leaving room for movement. It is these extremely intelligent ways of adapting to situations that ensure that we can use our bodies and arms as we should when dealing with various problems and challenges.
China's wheat "China's Grain", this season's harvest is also the prelude to a new season of work. People in this hot land are following the path of high-quality development of Chinese-style grains. In the rhythm of spring growth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage, they work hard and continue to struggle, using one bumper harvest after another to demonstrate the "Chinese Grain" Resilience demonstrates the confidence of "China Grain".
Author: Zhong Nongping
Source: Farmers Daily
The Chinese-style food development path of "strengthening the stronghold and fighting the war" seems to be slow and clumsy, but it is steady and far-reaching. This is also the Chinese civilization's great successes and shortcomings. wisdom.
Of course, routines cannot wait for changes, and we cannot cope with the situation at the same time. dialectical thinking is also the essence of Chinese civilization. Strategically, we need to be "stupid" and "hard", but tactically, we have never lacked the wisdom of contingency planning.
We coordinate grain production in different regions and divide the country into 13 main grain-producing areas based on different climate and geographical conditions. We plant winter wheat in the North China Plain, spring wheat in the Northeast Plain, and plant rice south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. wait. Coordinate both domestic and international markets, continue to build a diversified import pattern, and achieve rational utilization of resources. Coordinate potential production capacity and actual output. If an unexpected situation affects the unit yield, the area will be used to make up for it, leaving room for movement. It is these extremely intelligent ways of adapting to situations that ensure that we can use our bodies and arms as we should when dealing with various problems and challenges.
China's wheat "China's Grain", this season's harvest is also the prelude to a new season of work. People in this hot land are following the path of high-quality development of Chinese-style grains. In the rhythm of spring growth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage, they work hard and continue to struggle, using one bumper harvest after another to demonstrate the "Chinese Grain" Resilience demonstrates the confidence of "China Grain".
Author: Zhong Nongping
Source: Farmers Daily
