Qin Yuyun, head of grain reserves at the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, told reporters
in November that China is maintaining its food stockpiles at a "historically high level" and "Our wheat
stockpiles can meet demand for one and a half years. There is no problem whatsoever about the supply of
food." According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China is expected to have 69% of the
globe's maize reserves in the first half of crop year 2022, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat. China spent
$98.1 billion importing food (beverages are not included) in 2020, up 4.6 times from a decade earlier,
according to the General Administration of Customs of China. In the January-September period of 2021,
China imported more food than it had since at least 2016, which is as far back as comparable data goes. Over
the past five years, China's soybean, maize, and wheat imports soared two- to twelvefold on aggressive
purchases from the U.S., Brazil, and other supplier nations. Imports of beef, pork, dairy, and fruit jumped
two- to fivefold. China's production of wheat and other provisions as well as the amount of land used for agriculture plateaued in 2015. Goro Takahashi, a Professor Emeritus at Aichi University and expert on
Chinese agriculture, said "Agricultural productivity in China is low due to the dispersion of farmland and
soil contamination. The amount of agricultural production will continue to stall as farmers migrate to urban
areas."
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