Global contribution

From 1990-92 to 2012-14, 209 million people have been lifted from chronic undernourishment globally, according to the FAO.

"China alone has reduced the number of undernourished people by 138 million in this period, a massive and unmatched contribution to global food security, with the rest of the world contributing a mere 71 million reduction," said Misika.

Cheng Guoqiang, a researcher with the Development Research Center under China's State Council, said the achievements in China mean a great contribution to the global mission of hunger and poverty reduction.

In addition, China's bumper harvests and abundant stockpiles are key factors helping drive down international cereal prices and are conducive to the stability of the international food market, according to Misika.

China is willing to share agricultural technologies, equipment and ideas behind developing agriculture with all other countries, said the premier.

"China is a major contributor rather than being a threat to global food security," stressed Misika.

Bumpy road ahead

China has a population of 1.3 billion people and the number is on the rise. The FAO estimates that China's demand for food will be 700 million tons by 2020.

Although the country has set a red line that its cultivated land area should not fall below 120 million hectares, pressure on arable land protection is still great, mainly due to rapid urbanization.

In Misika's view, the high level of food waste, especially table food waste, could pose a threat to China's sustained food security if not addressed soon.

The environmental sustainability of the food production and consumption system is another challenge to the food security of future generations, warned the FAO representative.

Cheng said, most seriously, farmers' willingness to grow crops is rapidly waning as returns from the land are much smaller than working in cities.