China harvests over half of winter wheat

BEIJING -- As of Wednesday, China had harvested 57 percent of its winter wheat, surpassing last year's halfway mark by two to three days and bolstering the country's food security.

A total of 190 million mu (12.67 million hectares) of winter wheat had already been harvested, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Thursday.

The wheat harvest in southwest China's Sichuan Province and central China's Hubei Province, two agricultural powerhouses, has concluded, while the harvest in Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi and Hebei provinces will soon accelerate into full swing.

Various forms of support are being provided to facilitate the wheat harvest, including the deployment of more highly efficient, large-scale crop harvesters across the country, according to the ministry.

The weather will be suitable for harvesting and drying crops in the coming days, according to forecasts from the China Meteorological Administration.

Traditionally, the summer harvest spans from May to late June in China every year, with most of the work focusing on reaping winter wheat, a staple grain crop, and rapeseed.

China's grain output rose 1.3 percent year on year to a record high of 695.41 million tonnes in 2023, which was the ninth consecutive year that the country reported a grain harvest of over 650 million tonnes.

To encourage farmers to grow grain, the central government increased the minimum purchase prices of wheat and rice in 2023, and improved grain subsidy policies for corn and soybean farmers.

"We will improve the systems for grain production, storage and processing, and take comprehensive steps to consolidate the foundation of food security," the 2024 government work report stated.