China reports largest increase in summer harvest in 9 years

BEIJING -- China reported its largest grain output increase in nine years this summer, driven by a bumper wheat harvest, an official said Wednesday.

Han Jun, Party chief of China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a press conference that about 346 million mu (23 million hectares) of wheat were harvested this summer, up by 475,000 mu from last year's high base.

The yield per mu of wheat rose by 10 kilograms, or 2.6 percent year on year, marking the biggest growth in the last five years, Han said.

Guaranteeing food security has been high on China's agenda. An array of measures has been rolled out to improve grain output over the past years, including building more high-standard farmland and promoting agricultural technologies.

This year's summer grain output totaled 149.78 million tonnes, hitting a new high. The full-year figure remained above 650 million tonnes for the ninth straight year in 2023.

In particular, more energy has been directed toward soybean production, resulting in its self-sufficiency ratio increasing by nearly 4 percentage points over the past two years, Han said, adding that there has been an abundant supply of a wide range of farm produce, including meat, fruit and tea.

With multiple grain-producing regions suffering from droughts or floods, Han stressed the need for prompt relief measures to mitigate the impact on autumn harvests, which account for three-quarters of the full-year output.

Many technicians and agricultural officials have been sent to villages to provide precise and targeted services for farmers, Han said.