Beijing, Nov.9 (ANI): A leading agriculturalist has warned that China might face increasingly grim food shortages in the next few decades due to a possible drop in the country's grain harvest, triggered by a climate change.
Xinhua quoted leading agriculturalist Tang Huajun, who is the deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), said yield loss on the country's three main crops - rice, wheat, and corn - is foreseeable if the country fails to take effective measures to offset the impact of climate change.
Tang made the remarks during a two-day international conference on climate change and food security that ended on Tuesday in Beijing.
"The impact of climate change, especially extreme weather and plant diseases and insects, will cause a bigger grain production fluctuation in China and bring more serious threats to the country's food supplies," he told the China Daily.
China's grain output, which recorded 546.4 million tons in 2010, is expected to jump to a record high of more than 550 million tons, marking the eighth consecutive year for increased production, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, the impact of climate change, as well as arable land loss and water shortages on the country's food supplies, has sparked growing concerns among agricultural professionals about the world's biggest grain producer.
"The country's rice output may suffer 4 to 14 percent decline in 2050. Wheat and maize could fall by 2 to 20 percent and 1 to 23 percent if climate change continues," Tang said.
The total output coming from the three main crops always accounts for more than 80 percent of China's total grain production.
According to Ministry of Agriculture projections, the country's total grain demand will reach 572.5 million tons by 2020, an increase of 47.5 million tons compared to 2010. (ANI)
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