The 2022 G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting was held in Bali, Indonesia, on Sept. 28, 2022. Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, attended the meeting via video conference and delivered remarks. During the meeting, he shared China's experience in building a resilient and sustainable agri-food system, and put forward China's proposals on food and agricultural governance.
Minister Tang stated the Chinese government has attached great importance to food security and implemented the strategy of increasing grain production through soil conservation and technological progress. China has developed 900 million mu (60 million hectares) of high-standard farmland with high and stable yields regardless of growing conditions, with the comprehensive mechanization rate of wheat, rice and corn cultivation, planting and harvesting over 85%. China has seen negative growth in its use of fertilizers and pesticides for five consecutive years, and the rate of green prevention and control of major crop pests and diseases has reached 46%.
This year, China has achieved bumper harvests of its summer grain and early rice, overcoming the headwinds of last autumn's rare heavy rains and floods in the north, as well as severe high temperatures and droughts in the south. Meanwhile, a bumper autumn harvest is also on the horizon, with the hope of contributing to global food security once again.
Minister Tang suggested that G20 members should focus on the common development of all countries, implement the Global Development Initiative, and work together to propel the sustainable transformation of the food system, so as to provide strong support for building a community with a shared future for mankind. To this end, he made the following proposals:
(1) Increasing grain production capacity by enhancing cooperation on agricultural S&T innovation, reducing restrictions on the exchange of high and new technologies and equipment, and stepping up support for South-South and triangular cooperation, with the aim to help developing countries increase their grain production capacity with concrete measures.
(2) Strengthening sustainable use of resources by promoting cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing technologies such as science-based fertilization, water-saving irrigation, and green prevention and control of crop pests and diseases. More efforts must be put in to help developing countries with green development.
(3) Giving full play to multilateral mechanisms, improving agri-food governance systems, supporting the coordinative role of the UN Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, and working closely with international organizations to jointly address food security issues.
Ma Youxiang, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), delivered remarks at the subforum on agricultural trade. He stressed that China aims to basically ensure self-sufficiency of domestic food supply by adopting comprehensive policies, and firmly upholds the multilateral trading system on the basis of WTO rules. All G20 members should abide by the rules, deepen international cooperation on food supply, and call on major food exporters to fulfill their international responsibilities, in order to reduce grain export restrictions, unleash export potential and alleviate market supply shortages.
Hosted by Indonesia, the meeting was attended by agriculture ministers of G20 members and guest countries, as well as heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank Group (WBG) and other international organizations.
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