by Chris Jackson, Export Manager, UK TAG
As I travel the world and see so many different production systems it never ceases to impress me, the way that farmers adapt their production systems to suit their environment and the restrictions that their land areas impose upon them.
Currently travelling in China, we are seeing massive production bases interspersed with small scale production, using every small parcel of land to grow crops and vegetables. This is a very impressive sight for me coming from the United Kingdom, where land is more and more being given over for recreation and the creation of decorative gardens - whilst our population rely on supermarkets to supply them with instant meals.
 |
| Chris Jackson |
As I travel the world and see so many different production systems it never ceases to impress me, the way that farmers adapt their production systems to suit their environment and the restrictions that their land areas impose upon them.
Currently travelling in China, we are seeing massive production bases interspersed with small scale production, using every small parcel of land to grow crops and vegetables. This is a very impressive sight for me coming from the United Kingdom, where land is more and more being given over for recreation and the creation of decorative gardens - whilst our population rely on supermarkets to supply them with instant meals.
These traditional small-scale producers have not lost the skills needed to maximise their crop yields by natural means. The latest technology developed by our scientists is now being made available to them to help them maintain and increase production.
Genetics will be the first step forward to increase yields and increase disease resistance to produce healthier crops and livestock. Having achieved this where I am travelling now in Sichuan Province, it is very obvious that for perishable vegetable crops rapid access to markets is essential distance and terrain do not make this an easy task. Although the government have invested heavily in a superb road system building and development is necessarily taking place at an alarming pace which is inevitably putting more pressure on the major limiting factor land space.
Marketing and cooperation between the villages must be a way forward to get products to the markets in a fit condition.
In common with all countries that I visit, the young people do not wish to stay at home to farm, long-term this is not good as inherited skills are lost.
This visit moves on to inspect some very large-scale pig breeding farms. In order to improve food safety, the Government is encouraging large scale production. This is because it can be easier to control the food safety measures needed, getting meat produced hygienically and healthily into the food chain. Anti-microbial Resistance is a well-recognised concern with antibiotic use, much more easily regulated in large units that can employ professional veterinary services.
These units rely on good quality feeds being produced and delivered by mills that can use the latest technologies to produce a range of diets for the animals formulated to fit each stage of production whilst being palatable.
Read the full article, HERE.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com
No comments:
Post a Comment