China fears for its food security: loss of productivity and “thefts” of black earth
The fertile black earth of northeastern China , on which the Chinese grain community is based, is in an alarming state of decay due to over-exploitation. Chinese researchers recently admitted that the area has lost a huge chunk of its agricultural productivity.
It is the most important cereal base in China, affecting the country's food security. This cereal field covers more than 107 million acres, equal to one fifth of China's arable land; rice production accounts for at least a quarter of China's total grain harvest. That is, this land affects the food reserves that affect hundreds of millions of people in China.
On June 15, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) declared that the rich black soil of the northeastern region lost 20% of its productivity, Chinese media reported.
Significant loss of soil and organic nutrients in the soil due to overuse of land are the main causes of decreased productivity, the report reads, which came after an inspection by a senior regime official.
Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Party Standing Committee, led the environmental protection inspection in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang from 10 to 13 June. Li stressed the importance of supporting the black earth belt, state broadcaster CCTV reported on June 14.
In fact, China has been continuously losing its rich and fertile black soil for decades. Intensive mechanization and fertilizer use since the early 20th century under the regime have increased productivity, but they have also caused enormous damage to the rich soil.
In 2021, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) published the first "White Paper on the Black Soil Region in Northeast China, 2020". The white paper revealed that in the past 60 years, the organic content of the worked black earth layer has decreased by 33%, and in some areas by 50%.
We are even witnessing a more unique than rare phenomenon. the fertile land, the black one, is literally stolen, removed and then sold on the black market and transferred elsewhere. To protect agricultural production, the regime intends to heavily sanction trade and illegal theft of black soil. However, as the local poor farmers know, the black earth is like gold, a kind of easy money source for them. China's illegal black earth trade has formed a very profitable industrial chain that can make thousands of dollars, as cases show
For example, in 2021, the state-owned Xinhua News reported a case of an illegal black earth trade involving more than 27 acres of land and yielding $ 53,000.
Considering that any industrial chain would not have an easy time without the recognition and protection of Communist officials, it remains to be seen whether the new regulation stipulated will have any effect.
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The article China fears for its food security: loss of productivity and "thefts" of black earth comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-cina-teme-per-la-sua-sicurezza-alimentare-perdita-di-produttivita-e-furti-di-terra-nera/ on Mon, 20 Jun 2022 09:00:55 +0000.