Recently, there has been some turmoil in the global food market. Both Russia and India have taken measures to restrict rice exports, leading to global rice *** Russia also withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal, cutting off Ukraine's maritime grain transportation channel. What are the reasons behind these moves?What is the impact on our country?Do we need to stock up on food?
India is the world's largest rice exporter, exporting more than 40 million tonnes of rice last year, accounting for more than 40% of global exports. However, India recently announced a ban on rice exports, citing the need to protect food security in the country. The news sparked panic inside India and abroad, with many people rushing to shops to snap up rice.
Russia has followed suit, announcing that it will extend restrictions on rice exports until the end of the year. Although Russia's rice exports are not large, this decision also reflects the importance that Russia attaches to food security. Russia also withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Agreement on the 17th of this month, a grain organization made up of Black Sea littoral states that aims to promote the free flow of grain.
The reason for Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal is that it believes that the agreement does not protect its interests in grain transportation, but allows the United States and Western countries to profit from it. Russia's withdrawal has also created difficulties for Ukraine, a major beneficiary of the Black Sea grain deal, which has shipped more than 30 million tons of grain, including wheat and corn, through Black Sea ports. For some developing countries, such as Brazil and China, these foods are important for alleviating the food crisis**.
Why are these countries restricting food exports?Their common reason is to ensure food stability in the country and to deal with a possible food crisis. Is there really a threat to food security around the world?
Grain is the foundation of the national economy and the lifeline of the people. Without food, there can be no economic development and no social stability. What are the risks of Russia and India's restrictions on grain exports?
Judging by the international situation, Russia may be preventing the effects of war. At present, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is ongoing, and the United States and Western countries are also providing continuous support to Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine need to guarantee supplies ** in the rear, especially grain. At the same time, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is tense, and the United States and South Korea are also constantly pressuring. The recent visit of the Chinese and Russian delegations to the DPRK showed cooperation and solidarity between the three countries.
In such an international context, there may be a war without gunpowder, that is, an economic war. Food warfare is a means of economic warfare, which can quietly weaken a country's strength and confidence. In fact, there is already a precedent for such a situation. More than a decade ago, there was a food war between the United States and China over soybeans. Soybeans are not just food, they are also.
At the time, the U.S. was the world's largest exporter of soybeans, but it falsely claimed that soybean production was low, which drove up international soybean production. China is the world's largest importer of soybeans and has to buy soybeans from the United States. However, when China bought soybeans, U.S. financial markets began to slash prices and sell soybeans. As a result, many oil extraction companies in China have suffered huge losses and are even facing the danger of bankruptcy.
In addition to the international situation, there is another important reason, which is the deterioration of the environment and the abnormal weather. At present, the global temperature is rising, leading to the occurrence of various extreme weather, such as droughts, floods, heavy rains, etc. These weather phenomena have had a serious impact on the growth of crops. El Niño is also an important factor, causing droughts and precipitation anomalies on a global scale.
In the United States, for example, corn production fell by 64 percent. India's rice fields were also flooded due to heavy rains. Countries affected by El Niño tend to hoard rice in case they need it. This will lead to a decrease in rice and an increase in inflation.
This time the grain export restrictions of many countries will indeed have a certain impact on the global grain market, especially for some less developed countries, which may trigger a food crisis. Putin also raised the issue at the Russia-Africa summit on July 27, saying that Russia would not renew the Black Sea grain deal.
However, he also said that Russia will use its business model to provide free food aid to some of the countries that need it most. In the coming months, Russia may send free grain to six countries in Africa, such as Mali and Zimbabwe.
For us in China, we are a country with a large population and a big importer of grain. At present, our domestic rice **is also **. In June this year, the southern part of our country suffered from continuous heavy rainfall, which caused early rice to be affected by the "rain washing of grass flowers", which affected the yield of rice.
According to the data of the General Administration of Customs, China's rice exports in the first half of this year were 530,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 491%。The volume of imported rice was 1.64 million tons, also down from the same period last year. This shows that China's rice market is still relatively stable, and there is no excessive import or export.
China's rice imports mainly come from Vietnam, India, Pakistan and other countries. Among them, Vietnam is the largest country, accounting for nearly half of the share. India is the world's largest exporter of rice, but it has recently banned rice exports, which will have a certain impact on our country, but not too much, because we can also import from other countries.
China's first country is also taking some measures to ensure domestic food security and stability. For example, it is necessary to strengthen grain reserves, regulate market supply and demand, encourage peasants to grow grain, increase the self-sufficiency rate of grain, strengthen supervision over the quality of grain, and crack down on grain smuggling and waste.
In short, although there are some countries in the world that restrict grain exports, we don't have to worry too much and don't have to hoard food. Our country has the ability to guarantee our rice bowls, our farmers have the ability to produce our food, and our markets have the ability to regulate our **. As long as we save and cherish food in our daily lives, we can contribute to the country and society.