皇冠体育app

Hu Zengmin, an analyst at the 皇冠体育app National Grain and Oils Information Center in Harbin, said the domestic prices of many farm products are higher than world prices. That's helping drive imports.

皇冠体育app introduced floor prices for farm products in 2006 to protect farmers from price volatility. The government buys such products as wheat, corn and cotton for State reserves when market prices fall below floor prices.

Farm product prices in the United States and European Union are more market-driven, partly because of supply-demand relationships and the function of commodity markets such as the Chicago Board of Trade.

皇冠体育app still relies on stockpiling and floor purchase prices, supported by government subsidies, to regulate prices.

But the nation's minimum grain purchase prices have remained above world levels in the past three years, which prompted more imports of products such as soybeans, corn and cotton from the US, Argentina and India in 2013.

The price gaps "have made it difficult for domestic buyers to improve sales and are also driving up 皇冠体育app's import volumes", Hu said.

"Although there is no shortage of staple grains in 皇冠体育app, policymakers should consider letting the minimum purchase prices of domestic crops fall, bringing them more in line with international prices," said Zheng Fengtian, a professor at the school of agricultural economics and rural development at the Beijing-based Renmin University of 皇冠体育app.

"To obtain greater advantages from the international market, increasing imports of non-staple grains and related products - such as soybeans, feed, meat, edible oil and deep-processed grain - will allow 皇冠体育app to concentrate on the production of rice, wheat and corn to further ensure its grain security," said Zheng.