Posted on 03/25/2023 4:41:11 AM PDT by FarCenter
China’s food imports have increased significantly since the nation joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. Annual imports and net imports of food reached US$160 and $93 billion, respectively, between 2019–2021.
But as rural incomes rise and China’s population falls the gap for trade to fill between domestic food production and consumption in the future is uncertain.
Soybean for animal protein feed and soybean oil is China’s largest food import — imports exceeded 100 million tons in 2020 and averaged 95 million tons annually between 2019 –2021. Maize replaced edible oils as China’s second-largest import commodity in 2021.
Other major food imports are meats, dairy and sugar. China is also the fifth largest food exporter, following the United States, the Netherlands, Brazil and Germany and is the largest exporter of vegetables, fruits and fish.
A scarcity of arable land and water are drivers of China’s rising food imports. China’s population (1.4 billion) is 18% of the global population but China only has 8% of global arable land.
Per capita water availability is only one-quarter of the global average. Technological and institutional innovations, market reforms and rising inputs and investment in agriculture have enabled China’s real value of agricultural output to grow more than 5% annually in the past 40 years. But this growth in production is still not enough to meet China’s growing demand for food.
Rapid income growth and moderate population growth have increased China’s demand for food, particularly meats. China’s per capita GDP increased from $1,053 in 2001 to $12,741 in 2022. China’s population increased from 1.28 billion to 1.41 billion over the same period.
Although China is the world’s largest food importer, its average annual per capita net food imports ($64) between 2019–2021 were lower than countries with relatively large populations but scarce arable land.
These countries include the United Kingdom ($457), Japan ($422) and South Korea ($535) between 2019–2021. This situation implies China has largely explored its domestic production capacity and could import more food in the future.
Guessing that a lot of export foods are grown with contaminated water. Contaminated with a lot of different heavy metals. Type in Search—pollution, china and read a few articles.
Take a look at the the food production capabilities of the current and soon to be members of BRICS+. I don’t believe feeding the Chinese masses will be a problem. Unfortunately, with the woke green globalists working hard to destroy North American grain production, the prospect of coming widespread starvation in Africa is a concern.
I won’t buy anything grown in China.
Garlic is one common thing, but it is SO ridiculously easy to grow and such a trouble free crop, that I grow my own and it leasts me more than a year with some to spare as gifts for others.
There is an interesting food phenomena in China. Conspicuous consumption.
It reached levels where the CCP came out against it.
Prosperity is displayed and flaunted in the form of large amounts of many dishes being on the tables of prosperous Chinese dinner gatherings. Most of the food is uneaten and thus wasted.
Food will flow to people who can pay the farmers to grow it.
Only if the US continues to guarantee free transport over the oceans.
China's food production relies heavily on imported fertilizer and energy. And there are a lot of choke points and a lot of regional powers who'd be happy to close them, were it not for the US Navy
China is absolutely dependent upon the USN keeping China's shipping lanes open. Which makes China's periodic posturing about US freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea to be borderline suicidal.
Taking China out of the World Trade Organization is the best way to keep them in check.
No matter what type and how many weapons you have when your hungry and no stock piles they are useless.
80% of the garlic eaten by Americans is imported from China.
Rice from China has very high arsenic levels...most exceeds FDA allowable levels.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.