Text: Xixi
Edited by Xixi
Preface
It is also a large country with a large population and a large food country, the mainland and India both have rich food resources, and the variety of food on the mainland is more colorful, and the mainland is so large and rich in food, but why do we still import a lot of grain every year?
However, India is not as good as the mainland in terms of grain production and variety, but it exports a large amount of grain, so what is the reason behind this difference between the two countries? What is the impact behind such different strategies?
Differences in production
Although China and India are both large agricultural countries, and there are little differences in land resources and climate types between the two countries, there are significant differences not only in terms of food strategies, but also in the food crops produced between the two countries.
India's main food crops are wheat, rice, corn, etc., of which wheat and rice occupy most of the arable land, and in addition to wheat, rice, and corn, there are rich and diverse food crops on the mainland, such as soybeans, sweet potatoes, sorghum, and so on.
In addition to the differences in these crops, there are also differences in production technology, the mainland vigorously develops agriculture, has a very high level of mechanization, and continues to make breakthroughs in agricultural research and development, scientific and technological investment, innovation and development, etc., so the mainland has long surpassed India in grain output by virtue of these technological advantages.
Population growth, growing demand?
Then you may wonder why the mainland still imports grain with such a large agricultural output, while India is far less than the mainland but is a big exporter, because of the difference between food consumption and demand between our two countries.
In 2020, statistics showed that the mainland had a population of 1.41 billion, followed by India's population of 1.38 billion, but India's population growth rate was as high as 1%, and it would not be long before such a growth rate overtook the mainland and became the most populous country.
Generally speaking, the larger the population, the greater the demand for food, and the faster the population growth, the faster the food demand will grow, and this is mainly affected by the per capita income and dietary structure.
Differences in per capita income and dietary structure
According to the World Bank, the continent's per capita national income in 2020 was $10,530, while India's per capita national income was only $2,170, and the continent's per capita national income was five times that of India.
Mainland residents have more funds to buy a diversified diet, such as high-protein meat, dietary fiber fruits and vegetables and other non-food products, and the increase in per capita income has changed the dietary consumption structure of mainland residents.
The demand for meat and high-protein foods is getting higher and higher, and the demand for these non-food products has increased significantly, which has also indirectly led to the growth of demand for soybeans, which are feed grains.
At present, it seems that the mainland's food demand is higher than that of India, mainly due to the difference in per capita income level and the difference in residents' dietary structure.
Import and export of grain
It is precisely because of the changes in the dietary structure of the people that the mainland's grain output cannot fully meet the people's needs, so the mainland needs to import a large amount of grain every year, of which soybeans, which are used as feed grains and edible oil raw materials, account for more than half of the imported amount.
China's grain imports account for about 10 percent of grain consumption, and although the proportion is not very high, the mainland's total grain demand is very high, so even if only 10 percent of the total food imports account for a large part of global food imports.
The monolithic diet of the Indian people makes their situation very different from China's, although India's grain production is not comparable to China's, but they have achieved a large number of exports, and they have become a major grain exporter, mainly rice and wheat.
India's grain exports are about 5% of the country's production, mainly to African and Asian countries, although 5% does not sound like much, but India's entire country has a high grain production, so even 5% has a great impact on the global food export trade.
Food policies are different
Another reason for the mainland's large amount of grain imports is that with economic development, per capita income has increased, people's demand has increased, and the demand for some high-protein and seafood foods has increased, which has also indirectly driven the demand for feed grains such as soybeans, and the mainland attaches great importance to the needs of the people.
Therefore, in order to meet the people's needs through large imports, and in order to meet the stability and balance of grain demand, the mainland has the following policies on grain.
To support grain production, the mainland vigorously encourages agricultural production in order to maintain total grain output and self-sufficiency, and controls the supply and price of grain through the implementation of a grain reserve system to prevent grain shortages and price fluctuations.
There are also grain subsidies to ensure the basic food needs of low-income and needy groups and maintain social stability, and it is precisely the implementation of these food policies that has enabled the mainland to achieve today's food security and meet the different needs of the people.
Therefore, India's main food policy is to provide various subsidies for grain planting, reduce the cost of grain planting, increase grain production, and implement the minimum support price of grain to ensure fair purchase and distribution of grain, to regulate the market price of grain, and implement grain subsidies to provide grain to poor and vulnerable groups to improve their nutritional status and living standards.
Importers vs. exporters
It can be seen from this that the mainland mainly stands at the national level to ensure food security and stability and meet the needs of the people, while India mainly emphasizes the sufficiency of food in the individual aspect, and it is the different food strategies of the two countries that determine the difference in our grain trade.
This can also reflect our country's emphasis on the diversification of the domestic dietary structure, the needs of the people on the mainland, and the food security of the mainland, which is why the mainland will become a major importer of grain, while India's consumption structure and dietary structure are relatively simple, the elasticity of demand is small, and the policy protection is strong, so they have become a big exporter.
Although India's agriculture is the first to be the case, the proportion of hungry people in the country is also very high, and the population has a high rate of hunger, while the mainland has not only achieved self-sufficiency in food production, but also built granaries to ensure food security.
Therefore, the mainland has an absolute advantage in food, and the people regard food as the sky, and we should be grateful to the country that has made efforts for our food and clothing, and it is the protection of this powerful country that allows us to be happy today.
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