When we talk about China and India, the two most populous countries in the world, the issue of food is always an unavoidable topic. It is curious that although both countries have a population of more than 1.4 billion, they have very different performances when it comes to food imports and exports. China buys large quantities of grain globally, while India is a major exporter of grain. What's going on here? Is it really because our food production is lagging behind?
First of all, we have to understand that China's large imports of grain do not mean that there is any problem in our grain production. On the contrary, it is a direct manifestation of China's economic strength and the improvement of people's living standards. A large part of the grain we import is cash crops such as soybeans and wheat.
Soybeans, for example, are refined and turned into a variety of delicacies on our tables, such as meat, eggs, milk and cooking oil. In other words, we import soybeans to make them eat better and more nutritious. Moreover, it is more conducive to the development of aquaculture, because the cost of imported soybeans is lower.
Let's look at India. India does have better agricultural conditions, with fertile land, suitable climate, and a large arable land area, which seems to be a natural "big granary". But in fact, India's grain production is not high, even about half that of China. This is mainly due to India's underinvestment in agricultural infrastructure and modernization. India's farmland is often "dependent on the weather", and when extreme weather occurs, food production is greatly reduced.
So why does India still export grain in large quantities? This actually has a lot to do with the social structure of India. In India, the landlord class holds a lot of land and resources, and they are more inclined to export grain abroad for higher profits. And for India living below the poverty line, they can't afford even the lowest food prices.
This is why although India exports a lot of food, there are still many people in the country who do not have enough to eat. Even hundreds of thousands of people die of starvation every year.
Speaking of which, some people may begin to envy India's ability to export large quantities of grain. But this idea is really naïve. Just imagine, if you can't even solve the most basic problem of food and clothing, will you still envy others for being able to export grain? The fact that China has been able to ensure food security for its 1.4 billion people and enrich the people's dining tables is a remarkable achievement in itself.
So, stop blindly envying others. We should cherish our lives now and thank the farmers and hard-working people who provide us with food. At the same time, we should continue to work hard to promote the modernization of agriculture and ensure the country's food security, so that the people's lives can be better and better.