Supply of agricultural products secured: report

China’s agricultural products will continue to rise in quality this year as production stabilizes and supply is secured for important products such as grains and pigs, according to a report released on Monday.

The China Agricultural Outlook (2020-2029) released by the China Agricultural Outlook Conference 2020 summarized and reviewed the market situation of 18 major products in 2019, made projections on production, consumption, trade and prices in the next 10 years, and analyzed existing uncertainties.

It said China’s capacity to effectively supply major agricultural products and ensure their quality will continue to improve.

Crop pattern will continue to be optimized and the varieties of rice and wheat will improve. The total cropped area will be reduced accordingly, with the area of food grains at 800 million mu (53.33 million hectares), according to the report.

The yields of rice, wheat and corn in China in 2020 are expected to reach 209 million tons, 134 million tons and 267 million tons respectively.

The dairy industry will experience significant improvements in quality and efficiency, aquaculture will rapidly develop, and the supply of green, high-quality and safe products will increase, the report said.

The consumption of urban and rural residents will rise expeditiously and demand will strengthen for high-quality, green, niche and nutritious products.

Demand for processed products will increase steadily, with consumption of fruit, potato and soybean products increasing by 3.9 percent, 1.8 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

The report forecast trade in agricultural products will maintain an upward trend and China’s imports of meat will increase significantly.

However, there is uncertainty whether pig production capacity could recover from the outbreak of African swine fever and the COVID-19 epidemic at the end of 2020.

Pork production is expected to decline and the gap with demand will widen. The import volume is expected to rise by 32.7 percent year on year, reaching 2.8 million tons, according to the report.