|
BIZCHINA> Center
![]() |
|
Pledge not to stop rice exports lauded
By Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-25 09:22
A senior UN official has praised China for not stopping rice exports amid an international food crisis, calling it a "politically responsible stance".
"This is not only a commitment from the business sector, but also a political signal from the Chinese government to stabilize global grain prices," Wang Ren, director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, told China Daily yesterday. Wang's organization is a research alliance affiliated to the UN which tries to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty through research in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, policy and the environment. Yang Hong, general manager of COFCO - China's leading grain, edible oil and foodstuff import and export group - has reportedly said the company will not stop rice exports despite export restrictions by some major rice-producing countries such as Vietnam and India to ensure domestic supply. The group exported 1.5 million tons of rice last year, or about 1 percent of the world's trade volume. Global rice prices have risen sharply this year because of growing demand and poor weather conditions in some rice-producing countries. The grain has climbed 25 percent this month, hitting a record, and the price has more than doubled in the past year. Urging united efforts to apply high-yield technologies, Wang called on the international community to take "urgent action" to ensure supply. "We suggest the international community not only pay attention to the current food crisis, but also find solutions to increase supply in the long term," he said.
China relies heavily on itself to feed its 1.3 billion people. Faced with a global food shortage, the government has vowed to spend 562.5 billion yuan ($80.1 billion) this year to support farmers and the rural sector, 30 percent more than last year. The State Council, or the Cabinet, decided last month to spend another 25.25 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in addition to this year's rural budget, mainly to subsidize farmers for the purchase of seeds, diesel, fertilizers and other production materials. "China, a developing country, has taken swift and responsible measures to resolve the crisis," Wang said. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
|
尼勒克县| 昭通市| 桃源县| 安义县| 乡宁县| 凉城县| 洛隆县| 诏安县| 青冈县| 奉化市| 额济纳旗| 南充市| 花莲市| 屏东县| 乌拉特中旗| 莲花县| 古浪县| 南涧| 凤阳县| 朝阳区| 韩城市| 休宁县| 政和县| 威信县| 东至县| 建始县| 无极县| 北宁市| 龙胜| 武乡县| 渭南市| 临泉县| 成安县| 永康市| 江华| 彰武县| 文成县| 昆山市| 四平市| 平乡县| 冀州市|