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Xi Jinping's Childhood Famine Trauma Spurs China's Massive Food Security Strategy
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News18•18-10-2026, 14:55
Xi Jinping's Childhood Famine Trauma Spurs China's Massive Food Security Strategy
- •Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed severe famine during his childhood in Liangjiahe village under Mao Zedong's failed Great Leap Forward campaign.
- •China's new agricultural strategy focuses on maximizing grain yields from existing farmland using advanced technologies and machinery.
- •China produced approximately 714.9 million tons of grain last year, marking a 1.2 percent increase driven by better seeds and machinery.
- •The country is strengthening government grain reserves and supply chains to ensure adequate food supplies during emergencies.
- •A strict food security law implemented in June 2024 protects fertile agricultural land from non-agricultural use and prevents grain waste.
Key Questions Answered
Between 1959 and 1961, millions of people died during a severe famine caused by Mao Zedong's policies, notably the failed "Great Leap Forward" campaign launched in 1958 and negligence in government grain procurement.
China is focusing on saving existing agricultural land and utilizing new technologies and machinery to maximize output, with mechanization rates reaching 75 percent or higher across more than 66.7 million hectares of developed farmland.
China remains dependent on foreign countries, particularly South America and Argentina, to meet its soybean needs for animal feed and edible oil, importing a record 111.83 million tons of soybeans in 2025.
