China is the world's leading producer and consumer of a range of agricultural commodities, and one of the top U.S. trading partners in agricultural products. China’s growth in agricultural production, rising living standards, and evolving agricultural policies make it one of the most dynamic participants in global agricultural markets.
ERS provides research, analysis, and information on China's agricultural policy, outlook, and trade. ERS reports include overviews of China’s agricultural trade and policies, in-depth analysis of particular commodities, food safety issues, consumer demand, and production challenges. A complete list of recent ERS reports and articles is available here.
Recent trends in China's agricultural economy
- China has emerged as the world’s leading agricultural importer and now officials in China are adjusting policies to accommodate the country’s new status as an agricultural importer (see China's Growing Demand for Agricultural Imports , February 2015).
- Encouraging Chinese companies to invest in global supply chains for the country’s imports is one of China’s strategies to gain control over its food imports (see “Get Ready for Chinese Overseas Investment in Agriculture,” Choices magazine, 2015).
- The demand for imported feed ingredients to support a growing livestock sector has played an important role in lowering tariffs and other barriers to imports in China (see Development of China's Feed Industry and Demand for Imported Commodities , November 2015).
- As China became more engaged in global agricultural trade, its Government began subsidizing farmers and supporting farm prices (see Growth and Evolution in China's Agricultural Support Policies , August 2013).
- China has boosted productivity in its farm sector to a surprising degree since institutional reforms during the 1980s, but improvements have slowed and are uneven (see "China's Agricultural Productivity Growth: Strong but Uneven," Amber Waves, June 2013).
- Corn yields in China have improved since the 1960s, but they are falling further behind U.S. yields (see Prospects for China's Corn Yield Growth and Imports , April 2014).
- Chinese officials are pursuing a new round of institutional reform in agriculture to further boost productivity. ERS discussed the potential for reform in China's Ongoing Agricultural Modernization: Challenges Remain After 30 Years of Reform (April 2009).
- As their incomes grow, consumers in China are demanding more quality in their food by paying higher unit prices that reflect food safety, branding, and nutritional attributes (see Demand for Food Quantity and Quality in China , January 2007).
- China’s imports of tree nuts reflect the country’s demand for food products not traditionally produced in the country. See "China's Potential as an Export Market for Tree Nuts," (Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook Insight, March 2015).