China sees sound fundamentals to reap another bumper grain harvest

BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has sound fundamentals to reap a bumper autumn grain harvest following the summer harvest this year, despite severe disasters triggered by extreme weather in parts of the country.

Celebrating the Chinese farmers' harvest festival, which fell on Sept. 22 this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that most autumn grain crops in China were mature and ripe for harvesting. In the southwest region, over 60 percent of the crops have been harvested, while nationwide, the harvest rate has exceeded 15 percent.

Overall, since the sowing of autumn grain this year, the growth of major crops such as corn and soybeans has been generally normal and favorable.

The ministry expected that China will reap another bumper harvest of autumn grain nationwide.

An aerial drone photo shows harvesters working in a paddy field in Fangzheng County of Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

MEASURES FOR HARVEST

Extreme weather such as floods and typhoons has posed significant challenges to the autumn grain harvest this year, in response, the government has promptly allocated funds for agricultural production disaster prevention and relief.

The funds supported subsidies in 15 key provincial-level regions, including Hebei and Shanxi, on plant growth regulators, fertilizers, and insecticides.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has dispatched 232 personnel from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to form 28 scientific and technological teams to the main grain-producing regions to offer in-depth guidance, training and on-site services on seedling growth conditions, disaster relief and pest control.

China's "No. 1 central document" for 2024 outlined the priorities for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization this year. The document calls for efforts to solidly promote a new round of grain production expansion.

The focus will be on stabilizing the sown area of grain and placing greater emphasis on increasing grain yield per unit, aiming to ensure that grain production remains above 650 billion kilograms.

Farmers deploy drones to spray the rice field in Huangnigang Town of Nanjiao District, Chuzhou, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Cao Li)

Since 2021, the total amount of arable land in China has increased by 17.58 million mu (1.17 million hectares), achieving a net increase for three consecutive years, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the agricultural economy has steadily improved, and the industrial structure has been optimized and upgraded, latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

In 2023, China's grain output reached 695 billion kilograms, representing a growth of 5.1 times compared to 1949, according to the NBS data.

The grain yield per unit has also significantly increased, with a national average of 389.7 kilograms per mu in 2023, an increase of 321.1 kilograms per mu compared to 1949.

The country's summer grain output totaled nearly 150 billion kilograms this year, up 3.63 billion kilograms year on year, which lays a solid foundation for the whole-year bumper grain harvest, according to Lei Liugong, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

A farmer shows newly harvested sorghum at Yantou Village of Changgang Town, Huairen City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

FARMERS' INCOME GROWTH

China has called for more efforts to enhance the economic benefits of agriculture, increase farmers' incomes, inject greater vitality into the countryside and bring tangible benefits to farmers.

In 2023, the total output value of China's farming, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery reached 15.85 trillion yuan (2.24 trillion U.S. dollars), compared to 46.1 billion yuan in 1952, NBS data showed.

This year, in order to create more job opportunities and increase income for farmers, various regions have made efforts to promote local specialty products, strengthen the development of agricultural brands, and continuously explore new employment channels and income-increasing approaches.

A farmer harvests grapes at a vineyard of Xixiaoyi Village in Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Zhu Dayong/Xinhua)

In the first half (H1) of this year, the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 11,272 yuan, with an actual year-on-year growth rate of 6.6 percent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Shen Guoji, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that the ministry would take further steps to promote agricultural brands, boost the precise connection between agricultural production and sales, and ensure that farmers can truly be benefited.