Whenever I see news of a bumper grain harvest, I have a question in my mind: Now everyone's living conditions have generally improved, and they eat less staple food than before. Do we still need to grow so much food in China?

——People's Daily Netizen 19****5

As a reporter from "Nongkou", friends around you will ask similar questions from time to time: "Eating less staple food can reduce weight and reduce blood lipids. It doesn't matter if the food is more or less, right?" "The dining table is mostly meat, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables and fish. Is grain so important?"... Let's discuss these issues from three perspectives.

First of all, food does not equal staple food.

Status such as steamed buns, rice, noodles, etc. are made directly from grain, while meat, eggs and milk require grain conversion. For example, the feed for poultry and livestock contains corn, soybean meal, etc. It is estimated that 1 kilogram of meat requires about 2.5 kilograms of raw grain to be converted. It can be seen that from three meals a day to daily snacks, almost all food is inseparable.

Let’s take a look at our “eat amount”. More than one billion people need to eat, which is the biggest national condition of our country. The national people consume an average of 700,000 tons of grain, 230,000 tons of meat, 98,000 tons of oil and 1.92 million tons of vegetables a day. If there is really a shortage of food, who will help us and who can help us?

Besides, now that living conditions are better, everyone should not only "eat enough" but also "eat well". The trend of optimizing the consumption structure is more obvious, and the demand for food will also be "pressurized".

The Central Rural Work Conference deploys the "Three Rural Issues" work in 2025. The first priority is to continuously enhance the supply guarantee capacity of important agricultural products such as grain, and what it releases is a clear signal that food security is the top priority.

Secondly, "a bumper harvest that year" does not mean "a bumper harvest every year".

A friend joked that the news always said that the grain harvest was bumper, and there was "aesthetic fatigue" and it must be enough to eat. Indeed, my country's total grain output exceeded 1.4 trillion jin in 2024, which means that the per capita grain possession exceeds 500 kilograms, which is higher than the internationally recognized 400 kilograms of food security line standard.

But is it really "sitting for peace of mind"? With a bumper harvest of food, "God helps" and "people work hard" are indispensable. Drought and flood disasters are still the biggest risk of grain production. From a perspective, the agricultural disaster in 2024 is relatively mild compared with previous years, but in some places, farmers and front-line cadres have made a lot of efforts. There is great uncertainty in weather changes, which determines that food production cannot be relaxed.

Be prepared for danger in times of peace, and you can never say that you can pass the food. Let’s talk about data. In 1996, 1998 and 1999, the national grain output reached 1 trillion jin three times, but after going through twists and turns, it took a lot of effort to return to 1 trillion jin again in 2007. "It is easy to slip and difficult to climb" and "always tighten the string of food security" is absolutely true.

The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to "focus on stabilizing the production and supply of grain and important agricultural products." Look at the "card" in our hands: the national arable land area has achieved a net increase for three consecutive years. In 2024, 137 new wheat varieties have passed the national approval, and the mass production and application of 300 horsepower continuously variable speed tractors have been transformed into real grain productivity, and we are confident of achieving a bumper harvest.

Thirdly, the problem of food is not just a problem of food.

From the economic "big market", grain prices are the basis of 100 prices, and grain prices and the food prices affected by it affect the rise and fall of the consumer price index. Consumer prices are related to the general economic trend and the "small days" of thousands of households. China's economic ship is sailing steadily, but the "ballast stone" of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" is indispensable.

From the perspective of national security, we cannot forget that once there are instability and uncertainty factors, many countries and regions will immediately hold on to their "grain bags" and treat grain as a tool for gaming. More and less food is a tactical issue, but food security is a strategic issue. The pressure of more and less is incomparable.

I have food in my hands, so I don’t feel panic. Food does not show any dew, but once the wind blows, it will touch people's hearts. Let’s look at our dining table again. Food security is the “bigest thing in the country”. Is it more concrete? With a bumper harvest of food, we have to work one after another.