China food security: Premier Li Keqiang says summer harvest ‘must go on’, despite virus controls
- Premier Li Keqiang has urged local governments to ensure virus controls do not get in the way of a smooth summer grain harvest
- A bumper harvest, primarily of wheat, is crucial for China to keep inflation in check and could help suppress rising global food prices
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has for two days in a row warned local officials not to let coronavirus controls disrupt the wheat harvest, the latest show of concern from Beijing about grain security and inflation risks amid a looming global food crisis.
In a national teleconference on Thursday, Li urged governments at all levels to “waste no time” in ensuring a bumper summer crop and to “leave no grain unharvested”, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
“No localities are allowed to set up checkpoints that could affect summer harvesting for any reason,” he was quoted as saying, underscoring the government’s desire for smooth operations.
Even if an outbreak is found during the harvest … reaping must go on
The premier sent the same message a day before, telling more than 100,000 officials that food security was a priority at a rare video conference on Wednesday.
