The importance and problems of millet and sorghum production in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Millets and sorghums, which belong to the oldest grain crops in the world, have been important crops in China for millenia. They provide the people with food, feed, and many industrial raw materials. Unfortunately, these crops present problems like damages by weeds and birds, high production cost and low yields. However, millets and  sorghums, which are generally tolerant to drought stress, will continue to be cultivated to a certain extent in China in the future because of general drought stress in the northwest of China.