Ensuring "two safety" for rice imports

Rice is one of the important food rations in China, and the safety of "rice bags" is related to the rice bowl
of more than 1.
4 billion Chinese.
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China a few days ago, from January to September this year, China imported 5.
05 million tons of rice, a year-on-year increase of 41.
1%, which has exceeded the annual rice import volume
in 2021.
Our country is completely self-sufficient in rice, and the surge in rice imports is not a gap
in domestic supply.
The increase in rice imports can optimize the domestic supply structure, and while ensuring the safety of rice imports, it is necessary to prevent affecting the safety of
the domestic rice industry.

Rice is widely used as a ration, can also be used for wine, rice flour, and can also replace corn as feed
when the price comparison relationship is reasonable.
China's rice yield for many years is greater than demand, sufficient reserves, self-sufficiency rate of more than 100%, early rice production increased this year, the impact of high temperature and drought in the south on middle and late rice is generally limited, there is no gap in rice supply, but the problem of tight corn supply still exists
.
Affected by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict this year, the export of wheat and corn from Russia and Ukraine has been blocked, the price is running at a high level, the import cost has risen, and China has increased its rice
imports.
In addition to some high-end rice such as Thai fragrant rice entering the ration market, most of the imported rice, especially broken rice, enters the food industry and feed field
.
Judging from the structure of grain imports from January to September this year, corn and wheat imports declined, while rice imports increased
.

The low cost of imported rice is an important reason to
stimulate the enthusiasm of Chinese enterprises to import rice.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the prices of wheat, corn and other grain varieties have continued to run at high levels, but the price of rice has been relatively stable, known as the "stabilizer"
of the global food market.
This year, affected by extreme weather such as high temperature, drought, floods and trade protectionist policies, although the global rice price has risen for many consecutive months, the increase is significantly lower than the price of
wheat and corn.
Moreover, there is an inversion of rice prices at home and abroad, and the landed price of imported rice is lower than the domestic rice price, and the import cost advantage is obvious, which stimulates the enthusiasm of
Chinese enterprises to import rice.

To ensure food security, many major issues must be solved, which is a clear requirement
put forward in the report of the 20th CPC National Congress.
Whether the surge in rice imports will impact the domestic rice market and affect the safety of the domestic rice industry is a common concern in the current society
.
In order to avoid the impact of international low-priced grain on the domestic market and ensure the safety of the domestic rice industry, China has implemented quota management for rice imports for many years, and the rice import quota has been maintained at 5.
32 million tons, with low import tariffs within the quota and high import tariffs outside the quota, which is equivalent to building a "firewall"
for the domestic rice market.
Judging from the current import trend, rice imports are likely to exceed the import quota
for the first time this year.
In order to protect and arouse peasants' enthusiasm for growing grain, China has raised the minimum purchase price of rice this year; when the autumn grain is on the market, the main producing areas of Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan, Hubei, and other major producing areas have already started to purchase the minimum purchase price of middle and late rice to ensure that peasants "have grain to sell.
" However, we must prevent the phenomenon of
"foreign rice entering the market and intern rice entering the warehouse.
"

China continues to enhance the management capacity of the global food industry chain and supply chain, build a diversified pattern of rice imports, and ensure import safety
.
The sources of China's rice imports are mainly concentrated in Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan, Cambodia, Myanmar, India and other countries
.
Affected by extreme weather such as high temperature, drought and flooding this year, some countries have adopted trade protectionist measures, which have affected
the stability of international rice trade.
In order to ensure the safety of rice imports, China continues to diversify the sources of imports, improve the bargaining power of global rice, and ensure that rice can be bought, afforded and
transported.

In the face of the complex and changeable international situation, China should consolidate the foundation of food security in all aspects, firmly hold the Chinese rice bowl in its own hands, and respond to the uncertainty of the international market with the
stability of domestic supply 。 On the one hand, it is necessary to thoroughly implement the strategy of "storing grain in the field and storing grain in technology", continue to increase rice production capacity, and continuously tap the potential of rice production to increase production; On the other hand, it is necessary to implement the concept of "loss reduction is to increase production", promote the whole rice industry chain to save grain and reduce loss, such as in the processing link, through the revision of the national rice standard, guide enterprises to transform from excessive processing to moderate processing, improve the rice yield rate, fully improve the utilization rate of food resources, and achieve green production
increase.

(Liu Hui)