The country's overall food prices in March declined by 3.8 percent from February, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. In March, we have seen that meat production has gone up, and prices have come down," Fan said. "In China in February, I think there were some problems because of the restrictions on transportation, but that problem has been solved. We have to watch the international market to make sure that the global supply chain will not be disrupted," Fan told CGTN. "And this year, we'll continue to import meat.
Last year, China imported over 2 million tons of pork, up 75 percent year on year, because of the African Swine Fever, according to China's General Administration of Customs. In some places, port workers cannot go to work, and we have to watch that very carefully," he added. In Brazil, we have seen some small cases. "I hope the global supply chain of soybeans will not be affected," Fan said. In the first three months of this year, Brazil exported roughly 16 million tons of the grain to China, with a year-on-year increase of 17 percent. In 2019, China imported around 86 million tons of soybeans, 58 million tons of which came from Brazil, accounting for 67 percent of the total. The coronavirus pandemic has spread all over the world, with over 2.4 million people infected and about 165,000 others dead as of Monday.Ĭountries like Vietnam, Cambodia and India have imposed bans on food exports, while Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Egypt are also limiting exports of grains.Ĭhina's top three import sources of soybean are Brazil, U.S. "But I think I'm more worried about soybean and meat imports," Fan said, adding that "Normally, China would import about 70 to 90 million tons of soybeans…And last year, China imported lots of meat because of the African swine fever." You will not have enough supply if everybody begins to stock their food," he explained. But if we begin to stock our food for one month instead of one week, the whole supply chain will be choked.
"Normally, we purchase one week's worth of food, with fresh vegetables, pork, or grains. "For rice and wheat, has probably one year of stock… My advice is 'do not stockpile your food, and if you do that, you will do more harm to society and even to yourself,'" Fan Shenggen, chair professor at China Agricultural University and former director-general of the International Food Policy Research Institute told CGTN. And while there's plenty to go around, thanks to the country's reserves, China's dependence on imports for meat and soybean could eventually spell trouble if epidemic measures further disrupt supply chains.
China is not running out of food so people don't have to buy more than they need, an expert has told CGTN, amid concerns of shortages after some countries imposed restrictions on exports of agricultural products.