As the second most populous country in the world, how can India achieve a breakthrough in grain exports?From the perspective of root causes, India's grain export problems are closely related to factors such as unequal distribution of food in the country, economic conditions, internal religion, ethnic problems, and war.
First, there is a problem with the distribution of food in India. Compared to China's land reform, India has not experienced such a thorough land reform, and the main landlords control the land resources, and they are not only looking for food, but also money. This has led to extreme imbalances in the distribution of food within India. Before 2008, India exported more than 10 million tons of grain every year, and rice became one of the best-selling commodities in supermarkets in Middle Eastern countries. At the same time, however, there is a severe famine in the country, with a quarter of India's population struggling below the subsistence line, and India's hunger index remains high, ranking among the most severe hunger.
Second, India's economic situation and foreign exchange problems have also contributed to a large number of grain exports to a certain extent. According to the data, by 2022, India's import and export deficit will exceed $200 billion, making it the second largest deficit country in the world after the United States. This has been the case for 73 years, and India still lacks its own manufacturing industry and is largely dependent on overseas capital investment to build factories. In addition, India's internal religious and ethnic problems are complex, wars often break out, and a large number of imports are required, which leads to a large outflow of foreign exchange.
The situation in China is very different from that of India. China has suffered the bitter lesson of the Great Famine in its history, and there is no doubt about the importance it attaches to the food issue. Not only do we pay attention to food production and per capita stocks, but from an economic point of view, importing some lower-cost food is also an economic option. For example, China imports a large amount of soybeans from the Americas every year, not only because our production is insufficient, but also because imported soybeans are cheaper than domestic cultivation. At the same time, the domestic research and development and production of soybeans are also continuing, once the technological breakthrough, the import and export pattern of soybeans will change.
Overall, there are complex reasons behind India's emergence as a major grain exporter. From the perspective of internal factors, India's uneven distribution of food, uneven economic development, and religious and ethnic problems have all contributed to the phenomenon of grain exports. External factors include India's economic conditions, foreign exchange issues, and demand markets. In contrast, China is more cautious on the food issue, focusing more on self-sufficiency and improving production efficiency from the perspective of economic interests and national development.
Looking at the differences between China and India on the food issue, I believe that one of the important reasons why China is paying more attention to food self-sufficiency and improving production efficiency is the lessons of history. China has experienced a large-scale famine, which has made us deeply aware of the importance of food security, making food production an important pillar of national development and the cornerstone of reform and opening up.
In addition, China attaches great importance to and is committed to the development of agriculture. The first document issued every year is about the three rural issues, which reflects the great importance attached to agriculture and food issues. At the same time, China is also intensifying R&D and innovation in agricultural science and technology, and continuously improving grain production and quality by improving planting technology and agricultural production methods. This focus on technological innovation and practicality has enabled China to maintain a balance between food self-sufficiency and imports.
In my personal view, the food problem is not only a national problem, but also a global challenge. As the two most populous countries in the world, China and India are both burdened with heavy population burdens, and how to ensure the food security of their people is crucial.
I believe that China has made great achievements in solving the food problem, but it still faces some challenges. First, the pressure of population growth has not disappeared because of the large population of Chinese, so we still need to continue to increase support for agriculture to ensure that food production can keep up with population growth. Second, with the impact of global climate change, food production may face greater difficulties, and we need to strengthen environmental protection and sustainable development to ensure a balance between food production and the environment.
In general, the food problem is a complex and serious challenge, which can only be solved by the joint efforts of the state, scientific research institutions, farmers and the whole society. I am confident that in the near future, China will be able to continue to maintain food security and provide sufficient food for its 1.4 billion people.