The demand for edible oil consumption in China will show rigid growth

The 21st Academic Annual Conference of the Oil and Fat Branch of the China Grain and Oil Society and the China Edible Oil Development Industry Forum were held in Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province from September 20 to 21, 2012. More than 400 representatives from grain and oil regulatory departments, oil and fat processing enterprises, grain machinery manufacturers, grain and oil research institutions, and higher education institutions across the country attended the meeting. The meeting focused on topics such as the development and turning point of China's oil and fat industry, the operation and market conditions of Chinese grain and oil enterprises, the current status and development trends of edible vegetable oil processing, etc., to exchange the latest scientific research achievements in the oil and fat industry, explore the latest processes, and showcase the latest processing equipment.

Experts attending the meeting analyzed that with the growth of China's population, the improvement of people's living standards, and the acceleration of urbanization, the consumption demand for edible oil in China will show a rigid growth trend in total.

According to conference analysis and statistics, the total consumption of edible oil in China in 2011 was 28.651 million tons, with a per capita annual actual consumption of 20.5 kilograms, which is close to or ahead of the target predicted in the National Medium - and Long Term Plan for Food Security (2008-2020), which states that by 2020, the per capita annual consumption of edible oil in China will be 20 kilograms, and the total consumption will reach 29 million tons. The Outline of the Medium - and Long Term Plan for National Food Security (2008-2020) proposes that by 2020, the self-sufficiency rate of edible oil in China will not be less than 40%, while the current self-sufficiency rate of edible oil in China is only 38%. It is difficult to achieve a self-sufficiency rate of no less than 40% without taking effective measures. Experts believe that in order to meet market demand and improve the self-sufficiency rate of edible oil in China, the most effective way is to focus on the development of arable land and oil production, with a focus on "reducing leisure in winter and abandoning abandoned land in spring"; In the development of oilseed varieties, emphasis should be placed on expanding the cultivation of rapeseed, peanuts, and sunflowers, and on supporting and developing woody oilseeds and other special oilseeds represented by Camellia oleifera; In breeding, emphasis should be placed on improving the yield per unit area and the oil content of oilseeds; In terms of resource utilization. To make full use of rice bran and corn germ as important oil resources; To greatly mobilize the enthusiasm of farmers for oil production; Further research is needed to make good use of both domestic and foreign markets to meet the demand of China's edible oil market.

Regarding the development trend of China's edible vegetable oil processing industry in the future, attending experts believe that it is necessary to ensure the quality of edible oil products and promote concepts such as "safe nutrition, healthy consumption" and "moderate processing"; To further improve the comprehensive utilization level of grain and oil resources, establish green environmental awareness, and increase energy conservation and consumption reduction; To accelerate the adjustment of industrial structure and eliminate outdated production capacity; We should actively promote "frontline multi capability" and "simultaneous development of multiple fuels"; We should attach importance to the development of special oils and functional oils; To actively promote the construction of grain and oil processing parks and national grain and oil emergency processing and supply systems; To further accelerate the development pace of specialized oils and small packaging oils; We must conscientiously implement the principle of "not competing for oil with others" and properly handle the relationship between edible and industrial oils.

At the meeting, experts put forward some suggestions for further scientific revision of the national standards for edible oils. Experts believe that with the continuous improvement of China's oil and fat industry, technological level, and people's living standards, and the emergence of new products, it is necessary to transform the original standards as a whole or partially, making them more in line with the actual situation of China's oil and fat industry, more in line with safety and nutrition requirements, and more comprehensive standards.

Expert suggestions: Firstly, to formulate and revise standards, it is necessary to adhere to China's national conditions; Secondly, the quality and safety of edible oil should be given top priority; Thirdly, we must pay attention to and serve the guidance of national policies; Fourth, research indicator methods and accelerate the process of standard preparation; The revision standards of the Five Essential Principles should be classified in order of importance and urgency; Six must work together in the standardization work, discuss and handle matters; Seven should attach importance to the revision of basic standards in the process of standard formulation.

The attending experts also gave a profound discussion on the development of China's rapeseed industry chain. They pointed out that rapeseed oil accounts for a large proportion of China's vegetable oil consumption, and rapeseed is the only bulk oil variety in China that may have pricing power. However, the current situation of rapeseed production in China is severe, with serious abandonment of seeds by farmers at the source, one size fits all rapeseed prices in the intermediate stage, scattered downstream pressing scale, shortage of rapeseed raw materials, and imbalanced pricing power in the terminal rapeseed oil market.

Experts suggest that with the increasing demand for edible oil consumption in China, efforts should be made to support the development of the rapeseed industry chain: optimizing rapeseed varieties, increasing single yield and oil content; Promote the mechanization of rapeseed sowing and harvesting; We need to accelerate the efforts of temporary storage of fats and oils, as well as the outflow of oil materials, to stabilize the market; The scale of building or renovating rapeseed processing plants depends on the storage conditions; To use the futures market for hedging and risk avoidance; To give full play to the leading role of national large-scale oil and fat enterprises; Rapeseed oil should be included in the national food safety scope; We need to increase the comprehensive utilization of rapeseed.