China: a new powerhouse in the agribusiness sector

Abstract

Agriculture in China is undergoing an accelerated transition process as a result of its Government’s great commitment to ensuring food security for about 1.4 billion Chinese people. With scarce natural resources, China has prioritized science, technology and innovation to meet the great challenge of sustainable development in rural areas. Several restructuring measures are under way in agrarian issues, such as land use and leasing laws. Strategic industries for the sector are also undergoing restructuring, such as seed and biotechnology industries and agro-processing industries. China has invested in new agricultural policies, greater diversification of agriculture, and new irrigation and protected cultivation systems for higher value-added crops such as fruits and vegetables. With the aim of promoting greater integration of rural producers in the new digital world, large investments are made in the installation of 4G technology in rural areas, and training of rural producers in information technologies such as online banking, buying / selling products on digital platforms, etc. As a result, China remains at the annual production level of over 500 million tons of grains and tubers in the last 10 years. In addition, the Chinese Government has acted for a greater insertion of its state-owned enterprises in the global agricultural market, with the main objective of ensuring the control of the production of food/grains to be imported by the Country.