China vows to stabilise grain, edible oil production in key meeting

China must stabilise grain and edible oil production, improve grain varieties and enhance quality, state news agency Xinhua said on Tuesday, following a meeting of the annual Central Rural Work Conference from December 29 to 30. The group, which sets China’s agricultural priorities, pledged to “enhance the capacity for diversified food supply” and “promote high-quality development of high-standard farmland through zoned and categorised planning,” Xinhua said. China is highly reliant on imports to feed its people and tensions with the U.S., a major agricultural trading partner, have accelerated a domestic self-sufficiency drive that includes investments in machinery and seed technology. “We must not relax our efforts in grain production, promote the integration of high-quality land, high-quality seeds, high-quality machinery and high-quality farming methods to enhance the overall agricultural production capacity and quality,” a readout of the meeting released by Xinhua read. The ...