China set to see another bumper year for grain output
A farmer harvests rice in Mudian Village of Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province, Oct. 16, 2017. China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Monday estimated that the country's grain output will surpass 600 million tonnes in 2017, indicating another year of bumper harvest. (Xinhua/Zhou Haijun)
BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Monday estimated that the country's grain output will surpass 600 million tonnes in 2017, indicating another year of bumper harvest.
Earlier official data showed China's grain output dipped in 2016 as its planting area shrank and per unit yield edged down. National grain output stood at about 616 million tonnes last year, down 0.8 percent, compared with a year earlier.
On the back of supply-side structural reform, China has made progress in improving its industrial structure and promoting green development in the agricultural sector, an unnamed official with the MOA said.
Land for growing quality wheat, which has been in short supply, has been increased to 27.5 percent, 2.8 percentage points higher than the previous year, according to the official.
To work towards green development, China has further reduced the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
After years of bumper harvests, China no longer struggles with food shortages, but structural problems remain: some agricultural products are in oversupply and some still rely heavily on imports, while homegrown produce struggles to compete with foreign rivals.
Last month, China's State Council released a guideline on accelerating supply-side structural reform in agriculture, specifying major tasks and targets for the sector's development in the coming years.
By 2020, China plans to foster a modern system for the grain industry and raise the ratio of high-quality grain by around 10 percentage points, according to the guideline.
China is also eyeing an annual average expansion of around 7 percent in the added value of the industry, with the increase of the grain processing rate to 88 percent.
China introduces two-meter high 'giant rice'
DATE:2017-10-17 SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
China's "Father of Hybrid Rice" Yuan Longping receives an interview at an experimental field of 'giant' rice in Jinjing Township of Changsha County, central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 16, 2017. A new kind of rice that can grow to a height of 2.2 meters has been introduced to China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences institute of subtropical agriculture (ISA) announced Monday. With the average height of more than 1.8 meters, the yield of the 'giant' rice is expected to surpass 11.5 tonnes per ha, 15 to 20 percent more than ordinary rice, said the ISA. (Xinhua/Li Ga)
Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2017 shows an experimental field of 'giant' rice in Jinjing Township of Changsha County, central China's Hunan Province. A new kind of rice that can grow to a height of 2.2 meters has been introduced to China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences institute of subtropical agriculture (ISA) announced Monday. With the average height of more than 1.8 meters, the yield of the 'giant' rice is expected to surpass 11.5 tonnes per ha, 15 to 20 percent more than ordinary rice, said the ISA. (Xinhua/Li Ga)
A staff worker checks 'giant' rice at an experimental field in Jinjing Township of Changsha County, central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 16, 2017. A new kind of rice that can grow to a height of 2.2 meters has been introduced to China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences institute of subtropical agriculture (ISA) announced Monday. (Xinhua/Li Ga)
A staff worker feeds mud fish at an experimental field of 'giant' rice in Jinjing Township of Changsha County, central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 16, 2017. A new kind of rice that can grow to a height of 2.2 meters has been introduced to China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences institute of subtropical agriculture (ISA) announced Monday. (Xinhua/Li Ga)
Govt to continue importing seeds, says ministry
Updated: 2017-10-13 16:18
The government will continue to introduce seeds from abroad to improve supply of agricultural products in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture said on 13 October.
Out of the 350 major agricultural products available in the market, about a third were introduced from abroad, Wu Xiaoling, deputy chief for seeds supervision at the ministry, said at a news conference.
For certain vegetables, such as some types of carrots and spinach, more than 80 percent of the seeds are imported, she said.
But in general, imported seeds or seeds bred abroad account for a small percentage of all seeds used in China, she said.
For example, all rice and wheat, two main staples in China, are grown with seeds produced in China, she said. Domestically produced seeds also increased their share of all seeds used for growth of corn and cotton, she said.
The number of companies engaged in seeds business in China was about 4,300 last year, a decrease of about 50 percent from the 2011 level. Meanwhile, the companies are becoming bigger and stronger in research and innovation, Zhang Yanqiu, chief for seeds supervision at the ministry, said.
For the top 50 seeds companies in China, total investment for research and development accounted for 7.4 percent of their total sales revenue last year, compared with 4.4 percent in 2011, he said.
4th Meeting of China-Russia Agricultural Cooperation Subcommittee held in Moscow
The 4th Meeting of Agricultural Cooperation Subcommittee of the Committee of China-Russia Prime Ministers’ Regular Meeting was held in Moscow on 11 October 2017. Vice Minister Qu Dongyu and Russian Vice Minister of Agriculture Evgeny Nepoklonov co-chaired the meeting.
The two sides had in-depth discussions on a range of topics including facilitating bilateral trade and market access of food and agricultural products, creating favorable environment for agricultural investment, and strengthening cooperation on infrastructure construction of agro-industrial complex, agricultural scientific research and education. They also reached a consensus on jointly formulating a strategic plan for bilateral agricultural cooperation in the Russian Far East. A joint working group and an expert team will soon be set up to blueprint the cooperation project.
The meeting was attended by officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, agricultural authorities at local levels, and representatives of enterprises conducting agricultural trade and cooperation in Russia. During the meeting, participants exchanged views on cooperation and resolved problems through coordination, sustaining sound and stable development of China-Russia agricultural cooperation.
French Champagne Henri Giraud will be promoting their first Pesticide-Free Champagne
French Champagne Henri Giraud will be promoting their first Pesticide-Free Champagne to respond to increasing concerns on health issue and simple pleasure of wine consumption. Esprit Nature would be the name of this product when it is released on January 2018.
Source: Tangjiu news, 13 October, 2017
CGA Strategy releases that cork wine has shown an average CNY46.7 higher in price than screw-top products
CGA Strategy releases that cork wine has shown an average CNY46.7 higher in price than screw-top products.
From 2015 to this year, the market has seen 11% price increase in cork wine while only 6% price increase in wine with artificial top. For the consumption, cork wine grows 48% while screw-top increases in 10%. Moreover, market value of cork wine is much higher than screw-top products.
Source: Tangjiu news, 13 October, 2017
Shennong group import 1,000 head GGP from America nucleus pig farm
Shennong group import 1,000 head GGP from America nucleus pig farm, this is the second time of its GGP import in 2017, and Shennong import 1,080 head GGP last time on June, 2017. It is predicated Shennong probably is the top 1 company that import genetic pigs this year, since the total import volume of Shennong so far account approximately 30% of China’s total import volume last year.
source: City news 2017-10-13
China lowers forecast for corn output, consumption to rise
BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday lowered forecasts for corn output to 210 million tonnes in the 2017/18 crop year, down 2.37 million tonnes from the predictions last month.
A committee from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) also raised forecasts on industrial consumption of corn by 1.05 million tonnes to 61.3 million tonnes as a recent government plan to encourage the use of bioethanol gasoline will increase demand.
Years of support for corn farmers have left China with a substantial stockpile. The country's corn output stood at around 220 million tonnes last year, while stocks amounted to 230 million tonnes.
To help make use of the excess stock, China announced last month a plan for nationwide use of bioethanol gasoline by 2020.
The country launched corn-to-ethanol pilot programs in 2004 as part of the efforts to cut emissions and advance new energy. The country is the world's third-largest bioethanol producer, using nearly 2.6 million tonnes a year.
According to government estimates, the latest plan will help China's corn market to gradually restore to a supply-demand balance in three to five years.
Meanwhile, the MOA raised forecasts on China's soybean production to 14.94 million tonnes in the 2017/18 crop year and cotton output to 5.35 million tonnes.
Scotch whisky producer Diageo will reopen two legend whisky wineries
Scotch whisky producer Diageo has announced a 35 million Pound investment in restarting Port Ellen and Brora, two legend whisky wineries that were closed since 1983. Port Ellen and Brora will become the smallest wineries of Diageo, with an annual production volume of 0.8 million liter. New facilities are expected to be operating in 2020.
Source: Jiemian News, 10 October, 2017
China to give Ethiopia 15-mln-USD food aid
China to give Ethiopia 15-mln-USD food aid
ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- China and Ethiopia Wednesday signed an emergency humanitarian food aid agreement where China will provide wheat worth 15 million U.S. dollars to support people affected by drought in the East African country.
According to a press statement from the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia on Wednesday, Liu Tao, Chargé d'Affaires at the Chinese Embassy, and Abraham Tekeste, Ethiopian Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation, have signed the agreement.
The Chinese government has long committed itself to consolidating bilateral cooperation with and expanding support for Ethiopia, said Liu.
"With the newly offered food aid to Ethiopia, the Chinese government is determined to help tackle food security threats to the nation that have emerged in 2017, and is ready to extend further helping hands when necessary," he said.
According to the latest UN statistics, 8.5 million of people require emergency food assistance between August and December 2017, noted the statement.
The statement recalled that Ethiopia, in 2016, suffered from the worst El Nino-induced drought in the past half century, which severely aggravated the already dire situation caused by failed rains in 2015, and the Ethiopian government had responded swiftly and effectively.
Reiterating China's long-standing friendship with Ethiopia, the statement said that the Chinese government has been by the side of the Ethiopian government and people ever since the onset of this round of climate disasters.
In November 2015, Qian Keming, Vice Minister of Commerce of China, expressed profound concern over the situation in Ethiopia during his visit to Ethiopia and signed a food aid agreement, under which 10,535 tonnes of wheat was delivered to Ethiopia in April 2016.
In the same year, in a bid to further help relief efforts, the Chinese government donated 8 million dollars to World Food Program (WFP), providing emergency humanitarian food assistance to Ethiopian people.
In May 2017, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn attended the Belt and Road Summit Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing, China. On the occasion, leaders of the two countries announced to upgrade bilateral relations between China and Ethiopia to Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
"Looking into the future, the Chinese government, partnering with the Ethiopian government, will spare no effort to be of help whenever Ethiopian people is in need, jointly charting the course for the further enhancement of their enduring friendship," said the statement.
DATE:2017-09-07 SOURCE:Xinhua