Grain Production to Hit 692 Million Tons in 2021

Chinas grain production will hit 692 million tons and the selfsufficiency rate of staple grains such as rice and wheat will be 99.3 percent， according to the China Agricultural Sector Development Report 2021， which was jointly released by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and International Food Policy Research Institute in late May.

“The grain production will keep increasing and Chinas food security will be absolutely guaranteed during the 14th Five-Year Plan period，” said Mei Xurong， vice-president of the academy.

Last year， agricultural development in China improved steadily despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic as grain production reached 669 million tons， the report said. Soybean production increased to 19.6 million tons， up 8.3 percent year-on-year， and imports exceeded 100 million tons.

The production of other important crops remained stable， and the output of sugar and fruit declined， according to the report.

Last year， hog production maintained good recovery， with 527 million pigs slaughtered and 411.3 million used for pork output. Pork imports have reached a new record high of 4.39 million tons.

“China has basically achieved self-sufficiency in seeds of three major grains，” Mei said.

Livestreaming Service Users Reach 617 Million

The number of online livestreaming service users in China reached 617 million in 2020， according to a report on the development of Chinas livestreaming industry released by the livestreaming branch of the China Association of Performing Arts. The number of livestreaming anchor accounts exceeded 130 million by the end of 2020， said the report.

Livestreaming in China was already burgeoning even before the COVID-19 pandemic， with the industrys market estimated to be worth over RMB 193 billion in 2020. By the end of last year， China had nearly 6，000 Internet businesses qualified to offer online livestreaming services， including about 20 leading platforms， while nine livestreaming platforms had already been listed on the stock market.

Airlines Going Green

China will ban the use of disposable plastic packaging bags， tableware， and straws made from non-degradable materials on domestic flights starting next year， the Civil Aviation Administration of China said. Airports with an annual throughput of at least two million passengers will also stop providing such products next year， and the ban will be extended to all airports and international passenger flights in 2023.

According to the administrations plan， by 2025， consumption of disposable non-degradable plastic in the civil aviation industry will decline sharply from the 2020 levels. Alternative products will be more widely used， and a smart and standardized waste recycling and treatment system will be established.