A farmer operates a harvester in a wheat field in Sanjing village, Linyi city, east China's Shandong Province, May 27, 2024. (Photo by Zhang Chunlei/Xinhua)
BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) — More than 60 million mu (4 million hectares) of wheat, about 20 percent of the national total, had been harvested by Monday evening, as China seeks to stabilize grain production and maintain food security.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, various assistance measures are being provided to boost wheat harvests across the country.
The China Meteorological Administration has predicted that weather over the next few days will be favorable for harvesting and drying crops.
China's grain production is expected to hit a record high of 695.41 million tonnes in 2023, up 1.3% from a year earlier, marking the ninth consecutive year that the country has reported a grain harvest above 650 million tonnes. Domestic wheat production was 136.59 million tonnes, down 0.8%.
The Chinese people aim to hold their rice bowl firmly in their own hands and have made relentless efforts to achieve this.
To encourage farmers to grow grains, the central government has raised the minimum purchase prices for wheat and rice in 2023 and improved grain subsidy policies for corn and soybean farmers.
“We will take comprehensive measures to improve grain production, storage and processing systems and strengthen the foundation for food security,” according to the 2024 Government Work Report.
A drone-taken photo shows a farmer operating a harvester in a wheat field in Fenghuang village, Tongyang township, Chaohu city, eastern China's Anhui Province, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Ma Fengcheng/Xinhua)
A drone photo shows people harvesting in a wheat field in Liuzhuang township, Qushan county, central China's Henan Province, on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Gong Huajing/Xinhua)
A farmer operates a harvester in a wheat field in Letu township, Mengcheng county, east China's Anhui Province, May 27, 2024. (Photo by Hu Weiguo/Xinhua)
A drone photo shows a harvester working in a wheat field in Sanhe township, Hongze district, Huai'an city, east China's Jiangsu province, May 27, 2024. (Photo by Wan Zhen/Xinhua)
A farmer operates a harvester in a wheat field in Jinxing village, Yuxinxiang, Jiaxing city, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Jin Peng/Xinhua)
A farmer rides a harvester through a wheat field in Dongjiazhuang village, Linyi city, east China's Shandong Province, May 27, 2024. (Photo by Wu Jiquan/Xinhua)
A farmer operates a harvester in a wheat field in Shuitun township, Zhumadian city, central China's Henan Province, May 27, 2024. (Photo by Mi Xiang/Xinhua)
A drone photo shows people harvesting in a wheat field in Cuilou village, Liangyuan district, Shangqiu city, central China's Henan Province, on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Li Heng/Xinhua)
(Web editors: Zhang Kaiwei and Liang Jun)
