China's food yield to grow 1.1% annually over the coming decade

The nation's food yield will grow at an annual pace of 1.1 percent over the coming decade as hunger has risen worldwide, lowering the world's largest food importer's demand for overseas food products, said a report on Saturday.

Chinese annual food output is projected to reach 704 metric tons this year and top 766 million tons by 2033 thanks to stable growing areas and increased productivity, up from 695 million tons last year, said the China Agricultural Outlook 2024-33.

The report compiled by the Market Early Warning Expert Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said by 2033, each hectare of farmland could produce 6.43 tons of food, compared with the current level of around 5.83 tons.

Meanwhile, China's food import would decrease to 110 million tons by 2033, down from 160 million tons last year, said the report released annually since 2014.

China will be importing just 78.69 million tons of soybean in 2033, down from 99.41 million tons last year, it said.

This year's report was unveiled at the China Agriculture Outlook Conference, a two-day event that opened on Saturday in Beijing. The conference was held by the Agricultural Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, an affiliate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.