Hu Chunhua, a member of China’s politburo, said the country should increase grain production in southern regions. His speech emphasized the need for southern provinces to increase the amount of high-quality farmland and guarantee income for farmers.
While rice planting is common in southern China, most wheat, corn, and soybean production is in northern and northeastern China.
In his speech, Hu specifically mentioned Chinese President Xi’s focus on increasing food security. Amid rising global food prices and continued logistics disruptions, China’s leadership has been more intensely focused on domestic food security.
In another speech, Premier Li focused on the importance of continuing China’s zero-Covid policy while stressing the need to “stabilize” the economy and ensure summer harvests and stabilize food prices.