The People's Daily (April 3) reported that a press conference was held on April 2, under the aegis of the State Council Information Office where Liang Yan, Deputy Director of the State Bureau of Grain and Material Reserves, Qian Yi, Director of the Planning and Construction Department and spokesperson, and Qin Yuyun, Director of the Food Reserves briefed reporters on the grain and material reserves during the Five-Year Plan period. Asserting that food security is an important foundation of national security, and national reserves are an important guarantee for responding to various risks and challenges, the officials said China had made historic achievements during the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period in grain and material reserves and that grain has been harvested year after year, and the output has been continuously stable at more than 1.3 trillion catties. They said the outline of the "14th Five-Year Plan" for the first time included the implementation of a food security strategy in the Five-Year plan. Liang Yan stressed that China's grain production has been "seventeen consecutive harvests" and total grain output has stabilized at more than 1.3 trillion catties for six consecutive years. He emphasised that the rations are completely self-sufficient and that per capita food consumption is more than 470 kg, which is far higher than the internationally recognized food safety standard of 400 kg. Stating that the country's food security situation is good, and food security is guaranteed, he added that the focus on ensuring national food security cannot be relaxed for a moment in the medium and long term, "especially in the face of the complex international situation, the continuous growth of domestic food demand, the shortage of land and water and a large number of people, the relatively low efficiency of growing food, some natural disasters, and the more prominent structural contradictions and other potential risks."
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