Stable Grain Output Projected for 2020

Stable Grain Output Projected for 2020

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the International Food Policy Research Institute （IFPRI） in Beijing recently released the 2020 Global Food Policy Report and China Agricultural Sector Development Report. The report predicts that Chinas grain production will reach 670 million tons this year， providing strong support to the nations fight against COVID-19 and its economic and social development.

Research shows that the pandemic has a notable impact on national economies and increased uncertainties on the international exports market. Chinas agricultural sector， including its food production， however， is less susceptible to changes on the global market， because the share of exports in national agricultural output and the share of imports in national demand for farming produces are both below five percent. The sector also provides employment for a third of Chinas labor force. Even if international export will not return to its prepandemic level any time soon， agricultural employment will largely remain intact. As a primary industry， agriculture is an amplifier for GDP growth： every unit of added value in agriculture leads to a 3.4 unit increase in GDP.

Reports say that the impact of African swine fever on Chinas hog production is tapering off. Domestic production is expected to recover to more than 80 percent of previous levels by the end of this year， and return back to the 2017 amount by 2022.

The fall armyworm （Spodoptera frugiperda） may cause loss in Chinas corn production this year， which will however be contained to no more than 2.5 percent. The resultant shortage in supply will be offset by a release from the national reserve and increased imports of corn and substitutes.

Teenage Smoking on Decline

China CDC recently released the results of a 2019 survey on tobacco use among middle school students. Its research shows a notable decline in the number of these students who had tried out and were still smoking over the past five years. In 2019， the share of junior middle school students（mostly 12-15 years old） who had tried cigarettes and regularly smoked were 12.9 percent and 3.9 percent respectively， down five and two percent over 2014.

This group of young people were also less exposed to second-hand smoking. Last year， the number of junior middle school students who said they saw someone smoking at home， in closed or open public spaces， and in public transport， fell by 9.7 percent from 2014， but still accounted for as high as 63.2 percent. The share of students who said they saw someone smoking on campus over the previous 30 days and teachers smoking everyday were 45.2 percent and 8.5 percent respectively， both lower than 2014 levels.

Researchers acknowledge the progress in curtailing smoking in school but call for more education to be done on tobacco addiction for teenagers.

Mission in July to Land Rover on Mars Surface

China plans to launch a Long March 5 carrier rocket in July to send a spacecraft toward Mars that will deploy a rover on the red planet， according to the programs major contractor.

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp， a state-owned space conglomerate， said in a statement that the Tianwen 1 mission will fulfill three scientific objectives – orbiting the red planet for comprehensive observation， landing on the Martian surface， and landing a rover to roam around the landing site. It will conduct scientific investigation on Martian soil， geological structure， environment， atmosphere， and water.

If it succeeds， the mission will become the worlds first Mars expedition accomplishing all three goals with one probe， the company said. Tianwen is a long poem by the renowned ancient poet Qu Yuan of the State of Chu， composed during the Warring States Period （475-221 BC）.

The farthest distance between the Earth and Mars is about 400 million kilometers while the closest is 55 million kilometers， depending on their relative position in orbit. The probe will travel about seven months before reaching Mars atmosphere.

The space contractor said the probe consists of three parts – an orbiter， lander， and rover – and they will separate in Mars orbit. The orbiter will remain in orbit and the lander-rover combination will make an autonomous descent and landing.