Food security more than just grain self-sufficiency

The added value of China's primary industry hit 3.12 trillion yuan ($435.27 billion) in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 3.7 percent. Currently, the government's purchase of summer grain is at its peak, according to the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

China's grain output reached 706.5 million tons last year, a historical high. Despite this, the long-term tight balance between the country's grain supply and demand has not changed. Affected by factors such as extreme weather, natural disasters and fluctuations in the chemical fertilizer prices and grain prices, China's food security still faces tough challenges.

To keep the national grain output at a high level, the authorities need to continue to increase their input to modernize agricultural infrastructure, raise high-standard farmland's share in the overall farmland portfolio, and improve the disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities of agriculture.