*Long-time readers here know, I read a lot on China’s economy and history.* And amidst my daily reading ritual, I came across a fascinating insight. .. *Here in India, the use of fertilisers is consistently growing.* -> Meanwhile, China has reduced fertiliser use for eight consecutive years since 2015 -> This is even as the Dragon nation has consistently seen increased domestic agricultural output year-on-year -> And this is even more impressive given that this country has ~18% of the global population but just 9% of the global arable land Thus, in effect, it has less arable land than India but is increasing domestic agri production nonetheless while using less and less fertilisers! This is simply amazing! .. *China’s National Bureau of Statistics claims that the rising agricultural output with decreasing use of fertilisers is an outcome of a state-driven programme to promote:* -> Techniques which ensure targeted fertiliser applications that supply only the nutrients crops need -> Coupled with advancements in seed technology, farmland quality, and mechanisation .. *And this is validated by the fact that in 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in China allocated 15.9 billion yuan ($2.18 billion) to R&D.* That’s a 25.2% rise from the previous year. The result is that sustained improvements in seed varieties, planting methods, and mechanisation have boosted the yield per hectare of key crops. Meanwhile, here in India, when it comes to R&D in agriculture, we probably have not spent that much in the last decade. Mind it, I am talking specifically about R&D here. -> That’s something to ponder over -> Especially because our Govt (union+state combined) spends almost as much as China every year on agriculture .. *Support my work:* https://t.ly/SUPPORTjay *Check my work with:* - 3.1k+ on Decoding The Dragon (https://t.ly/chnwj) - 2.7k+ on Deepdives with Jay (https://t.ly/dwj) - 2.2k+ on BharatNama (https://t.ly/bwj) Best, Jayant Shilanjan Mundhra