The global COVID-19 pandemic threatens to cause a huge shock to international food trade and trigger a new food crisis, a top Chinese agriculture official said yesterday.
The comments came as the pandemic roiled global agriculture supply chains and upended trade, and after some countries restricted exports of main grains and increased procurement for reserves.
“The fast-spreading global epidemic has brought huge uncertainty on international agriculture trade and markets,” Chinese Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Yu Kangzhen (于康震) said.
Photo: Reuters
“If the epidemic continues to spread and escalate, the impact on international food trade and production will definitely worsen, and might trigger a new round of food crisis,” Yu said during a video conference on the country’s agriculture outlook.
The pandemic and measures some countries took to secure domestic supplies have inhibited normal trade and supplies, and caused some major price fluctuations, Yu added.
The pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China, late last year, has infected more than 2.4 million people and killed 165,000 worldwide.
Strict lockdowns and quarantines to control the coronavirus have disrupted China’s supply chains and made it difficult for many industries to find enough workers, and delayed poultry and pig production in the world’s top meats market.
Although China has sufficient grains to meet domestic demand, some other import-reliant farm products, such as soybeans and edible oils, might be affected by the pandemic, Yu said.
China’s exports of aquaculture, vegetables and tea would be affected due to the disease, Yu added.
Speaking at the same conference, Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu (韓長賦) ruled out a food crisis in China, saying that it had the confidence and ability to secure supplies of grain and other major agricultural products.
While the pace of domestic virus transmissions has slowed, China is focusing on infections from overseas arrivals as it guards against a major resurgence and monitors the spread in northeastern Heilongjiang Province.
“The risk of imported coronavirus is still huge and will put considerable pressure on livestock production,” Yu said.
China is also fighting the African swine fever, which has slashed its pig herd by at least 40 percent and is still spreading. The country has reported 13 new cases of the disease since last month.
“African swine fever risks have significantly increased, as pig production recovery accelerates and more piglets and breeders get transported,” Yu said.
China’s farmers, lured by good profits and a series of government policies, have sped up efforts to rebuild pig herd.
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