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| FAQ |
| What is China doing to modernize its agriculture and
food industry? |
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In May 1996 Chinese
government officials and science representatives gathered at a five-yearly congress to
determine research priorities.They decided that agricultural research (aiming at the
increase of crop yields) should be one of the top research priorities (Nature, Vol. 381,
p. 725). The University of Wuhan has a topnotch center for rice breeding and biological
pest control. The CAS Institute of Virology, Beijing has become a world-leading center on
molecular virology and genetic engineering and is a key laboratory on plant cell and
chromosome engineering. In central Hunan province and on the island of Hainan China is
conducting field test of genetically modified plants on a scale much larger than in the
West (Science, Vol. 270). |
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China is massively
expanding its transportation infrastructure, such as roads, railways, canals.
There is also a huge investment into the technical modernization of the transportation industry.
The improvement of logistics is a key factor for China's food security, because the
regional disparities in crop production potential require substantial re-distribution
measures. In the past, it was often a failure in timely redistribution of grain, which
caused local famines. |
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The reduction of
post-harvest losses is an important source of increasing overall food supply. China's food
industry is currently being modernized with the help of western technology in packaging,
refrigeration, canning, and conservation. |
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Revision 2.0 (First revision published in 1999)
- Copyright © 2011 by Gerhard K. Heilig. All rights reserved. (First revision: Copyright © 1999 by IIASA.) |
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