Lockdown enforced in twenty-three cities of China, especially in the three main grain-producing provinces of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang, on account of coronavirus, is likely to adversely affect the grain production and ultimately the food security of China.
As per reports, these three provinces alone contribute more than 20 per cent of China's aggregate domestic grain production but the delay caused in planting fresh crops during the ongoing crucial spring planting season on account of the non-availability of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides and labour may jeopardize China's pursuit of achieving self-sufficiency in staple foods.
China being the world's largest grain consumer imported 28.35 million tonnes of corn in 2021 from Ukraine and US.
Recently, on April 1, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China Hu Chunhua stated that the demand for corn has outstripped supply in China and the country must work together to boost output.
China on Tuesday reported 1,383 new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases, said the National Health Commission. Of the local confirmed cases reported 973 were in Jilin, 311 in Shanghai, and 17 in Zhejiang.
( With inputs from ANI )
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