Farmers weather adversity to reap record grain harvests

Harvesting is almost done in the major Chinese agricultural provinces of Heilongjiang, Henan and Shandong, with a bumper grain crop expected, despite extreme weather this year that caused multiple natural disasters.

China's grain output is projected to hit a record high of 700 million metric tons this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Oct 25.

The anticipated milestone harvest follows nine consecutive years of maintaining grain output above 650 million tons, the ministry said at a news conference.

As of Thursday, northeast China's Heilongjiang province, the country's top grain producer, had harvested more than 90 percent of its crops, or 14.7 million hectares of its planting area, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.

The grain harvest included 3.4 million hectares of rice, 6 million hectares of corn and 4.9 million hectares of soybeans. Meanwhile, harvesting of 80,000 hectares of miscellaneous grains and beans has been completed.

Heilongjiang experienced a cold spell and lingering rain from June to July this year, which hindered the growth of crops in many parts of the province.

Han Zhimin, who leads a grain-planting cooperative in Yilan county, in the provincial capital Harbin, said his cooperative planted 2,000 hectares of corn and soybean this year. Advanced farming techniques and modern agricultural practices helped him cope with the disaster, while crop insurance saved him from financial worries.

"We have hired a full-time agronomist, and used new technology and professional management to increase the soybean planting density while enhancing the crop quality," said Han, adding that the cooperative had spent more than 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) in the past 10 years on purchasing modern farming machinery such as high-powered tractors, harvesters and high-speed precision planters.

From January to August, Heilongjiang had 11.4 million hectares of grain growing area covered by crop insurance, up 4.27 percent year-on-year, with the insurance coverage rate in the province standing at 77.7 percent, according to data from the Heilongjiang branch of the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

The province also leads the country in establishing more than 7.3 million hectares of high-standard farmland. This farmland is characterized by well-leveled, contiguous plots with advanced irrigation, efficient water use and enhanced soil fertility. Designed to withstand both droughts and floods, it aligns with modern agricultural practices and features chemical-free soils and high yields.

The province's grain output reached 77.88 million tons in 2023, extending its hold on the No 1 ranking in China for 14 consecutive years.