China reaps another bumper summer harvest thanks to policy incentives

China’s summer grain output totaled 145.8 million tonnes in 2021, an increase of 2.97 million tonnes or 2.1 percent from last year, continuing 18 consecutive years of bumper harvests, the National Bureau of Statistics said on July 14.

A farmer harvests wheat in the fields of Qianzhuanmen Village, Fucheng County, Hengshui City, north China's Hebei Province, June 13, 2021.(Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This has laid a solid foundation for ensuring that the total grain output this year remains above 650 million tonnes. The success was mainly attributed to the country’s supportive policies for the development of agriculture.

To incentivize farmers to grow grain, China has increased the minimum purchase price of rice and wheat, given more rewards to major grain-producing counties, and extended farm insurance to fend off risks and stabilize income from grain production.

East China’s Jiangsu province allocated a total reward of 133 million yuan to its 26 major grain-producing counties in early 2021, with each county receiving rewards ranging from 5 million to 10 million yuan.

Efforts have also been made to ensure that no arable land is wasted and no farming season is missed. The total area devoted to growing winter wheat increased by more 3 three million mu (about 200,000 hectares) this year, guaranteeing a bumper summer harvest.

The country has allocated 1 billion yuan from its central budget to assist agricultural production and disaster relief and support local governments in the prevention and control of crop diseases and pests.

At the same time, China has continuously improved its level of agricultural mechanization. At present, 97 percent of the country’s wheat, 94 percent of rice, and 78 percent of corn has been harvested by machines, improving efficiency and reducing grain losses.

So far, over 600,000 combine harvesters have been used in wheat harvesting this summer across the country. By making use of subsidies for purchasing agricultural machinery and tools, central China’s Henan province has seen 5,000 more combine harvesters being used this year. It has repaired 3.02 million agricultural machines of various kinds and trained 166,000 agricultural machine operators so far.

Operators have helped bring down harvesting losses by over 1 percentage point in many parts of the country. “Reducing the loss in harvesting will ensure more grain output,” remarked Kong Xiangzhi, a professor with the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development under Renmin University of China. “If the loss in wheat harvesting can be cut by 1 percentage point, over 1.25 billion kilograms of the crop will be saved nationwide,” Kong added.

China has also established 194,000 agricultural machinery organizations to provide comprehensive services for farmers. These organizations ensure that their grains will be harvested in a timely manner, and therefore help them save costs and increase incomes.

In addition, the country has promoted the wider use of superior crop varieties and application of agricultural technologies, including science-based fertilization, water-saving irrigation, the integration of water and fertilizer, and prevention and control of crop pests and diseases.

This summer, the cultivation area of high-quality special wheat accounted for 37.3 percent of the total, up by 1.5 percentage points compared to last year.

China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sent 260,000 agricultural technicians to various parts of the country to promote the use of more than 100 technologies. As a result, the yield of wheat per mu increased by 4.2 kilograms this summer.