China crops reportedly in short supply

As if the droughts weren’t enough, they apparently coincide with a contraction of 8.33 million hectares of farmland over the last decade.

China’s farmland per capita is less than half the world average, and one-sixth that of the U.S., according to China Comment, a Communist Party magazine. Actual land loss may be greater than the government’s numbers suggest, as local officials fudge figures and illegal use proliferates.

The basic gist of the story is that China has far too little land set aside for farming, and in conjunction with growing world populations, global food supplies are going to be hard pressed.

Archer Daniels Midland Co., Bunge Ltd. and Cargill Inc. were among U.S. food companies that in January won $6.68 billion of deals to supply China with soybeans, the U.S. Soybean Export Council said.