China sets its sights on global farmland
By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing
Friday, May 09, 2008
Chinesecompanies will be encouraged to buy farmland abroad, particularly in Africa and South America, to help guarantee food security, under a plan being considered by Beijing.
根据中国政府正在考虑的一项计划，政府将鼓励中国企业在海外（特别是非洲和南美洲）购买农田，以帮助保障食品安全。
A proposal drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture would make supporting offshore land acquisition by domestic agricultural companies a central government policy. Beijing already has similar policies to boost offshore investment by state-owned banks, manufacturers and oil companies but offshore agricultural investment has so far been limited to a few small projects.
If approved, the plan could face intense opposition abroad given surging global food prices and deforestation fears. However an official close to the deliberations said it was likely to be adopted.
考虑到全球食品价格不断飙升，以及公众对砍伐森林的担忧，上述计划如果获批，可能在国外遭遇强烈反对。但是，一位熟悉此项政策研究情况的官员表示，这项政策有可能获得采纳。
"There should be no problem for this policy to be approved. The problem might come from foreign governments who are unwilling to give up large areas of . . . land," the official said.
该官员表示："这项政策获得批准应该没有问题，问题可能来自于那些不愿让出大片土地的外国政府。"
The move comes as oil-rich but food-poor countries in the Middle East and north Africa explore similar options. Libya is talking with Ukraine about growing wheat in the former Soviet republic, while Saudi Arabia has said it would invest in agricultural and livestock projects abroad to ensure food security and control commodity prices.
China is losing its ability to be self-sufficient in food as its rising wealth triggers a shift away from diet staples such as rice towards meat, which requires large amounts of imported feed.
目前，中东及北非地区一些农业资源匮乏的产油国也在研究类似的选择。利比亚正与乌克兰就在这个前苏联共和国种植小麦进行商谈，而沙特阿拉伯则表示，将在海外投资农业及牲畜养殖项目，以确保食品安全，并控制大宗商品价格。中国正逐渐丧失食品自给自足的能力，原因是随着富裕程度不断提高，食谱重心从大米等转向肉类，而生产肉类需要大量的进口饲料。
China has about 40 per cent of the world's farmers but just 9 per cent of the world's arable land. Some Chinese scholars argue that domestic agricultural companies must expand overseas if China is to guarantee its food security and reduce its exposure to global market fluctuations.
中国农民数量占全世界的40%左右，而耕地面积仅占9%。一些中国学者认为，如果中国希望保障食品安全，减轻全球价格波动的影响，那么国内农业企业必须向海外扩张。
