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China: Urbanisation growth increases demand on grain

05-02-2013 | |
China: Urbanisation growth increases demand on grain

The rapid growth in urbanisation in China has meant the consumption of grain has also increased and despite China’s consecutive harvests over the past nine years are still insufficient to meet the growing demand.

China’s urbanisation rate reached 52.57% as of the end of 2012, 1.3% points higher than 2011, according to Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Leading Group on Rural Work under the Central Committee of Communist Party of China. He went on to say that the diet structure of the 21 million farmers who became urbanites last year is likely to change accordingly, as people living in cities generally consume more meat and eggs.

“If the country’s grain output will not speed up, possible food shortage will threaten the development of urbanization,” Chen warned. In order to underpin the development of urban expansion, China has to make efforts to secure a stable supply of grain along, Chen recommended.

From 2000 to 2012, Chinese pork production grew by 14.94 million metric tonnes. The increase alone is equal to 66% of the European Union’s total production. This year, China’s pork production could reach an estimated 51.6 million metric tonnes, which is equal to nearly half of the total global production.

Chinese broiler meat production has increased by 4.46 million metric tonnes since 2000. Projections for this year put China’s broiler meat output at 13.73 million metric tonnes, making it the second-largest producer after the United States.

China imported 849 billion bushels of whole US soybeans in the most recent marketing year. The majority of the meal from those soybeans is used for poultry and livestock feed. From 1990 to 2012, China’s soy meal consumption increased from 1,028 metric tonnes to nearly 51,000 metric tons, a hike of almost 5,000%.

 

Source: USSEC.org

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