China's grain output hits record high in 2023: minister

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China's grain output hit a record high of 695.4 million tonnes last year, with per capita grain possession standing at 493 kg, higher than the internationally recognized grain security line of 400 kg, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian said Tuesday.

This is the ninth consecutive year for China to register a grain harvest of over 650 million tonnes, Tang told journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing "two sessions."

Apart from safeguarding national food security, the country also keeps working to consolidate and expand its achievements in poverty alleviation, and prevent people from falling back into poverty and ensuring that no large-scale return to poverty occurs, according to Tang.

Last year, all farmers in 832 former national-level poverty-stricken counties saw the per capita disposable income reach 16,396 yuan (about 2,308 U.S. dollars), with an average annual increase of around 1,200 yuan over the past three years. Their income growth rate is higher than the national average growth rate for farmers.

Approximately two to three or more industries have been developed in each of the 832 poverty-alleviated counties, Tang said, adding that over 90 percent of the households that escaped poverty have engaged in these industries.