China's grain output hits new high in 2025

Zhang Xingwang (2nd L), vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs, Chen Bangxun (2nd R), director general of the Department of Development and Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and Zhou Yunlong (1st R), director general of the Department of Science, Technology and Education of the MARA attend a press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) on accelerating agricultural and rural modernization to drive all-round rural revitalization, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 22, 2026. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China recorded another bumper grain harvest last year, pushing output to a new high despite bouts of drought, flooding and prolonged rainfall in parts of the country, official data showed Thursday.

Grain production reached about 714.9 million tonnes in 2025, an increase of 8.4 million tonnes from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The output has stayed above 700 million tonnes for two consecutive years.

The achievement was hard-won, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Zhang Xingwang said at a press conference on Thursday.

Zhang attributed most of the production increase to autumn harvests, which accounted for more than 90 percent of the annual grain output growth.

Output growth was mostly reported in the three northeast China provinces, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, which together contributed nearly 70 percent of the national increase. By crop, corn played a dominant role, with production making up about 75 percent of the total growth.

According to the press conference, soybean output reached 20.91 million tonnes last year, remaining above 20 million tonnes for a fourth consecutive year. Combined output of pork, beef, mutton and poultry climbed to 100.72 million tonnes, up 4.2 percent year on year.

Faster adoption of agricultural technology has continued to lift productivity, Zhang said, citing advances in agricultural machinery and smart farming applications, as well as the growing use of low-altitude technologies.

In 2025, the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress exceeded 64 percent, while the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting reached 76.7 percent. China's fleet of agricultural drones surpassed 300,000 units, with annual operating coverage exceeding 460 million mu, or 30.67 million hectares.

Steady agricultural development has also supported rural income growth and rural revitalization.

Official data shows that value-added output of major agricultural and sideline food processors rose 5.6 percent from a year earlier in 2025, while new industries such as rural tourism and e-commerce continued to expand, boosting local employment. Rural residents' per capita disposable income logged a real-term increase of 6 percent.

Moreover, living conditions in rural areas also improved, with sanitary toilet coverage rising to about 77 percent and continued upgrades to infrastructure and public services, including education, healthcare and elderly care.

Notably, China has continued to consolidate gains from poverty alleviation, with 832 counties which have been lifted out of poverty cultivating two to three leading industries with strong spillover effects. Employment among people lifted out of poverty has remained stable, with more than 30 million workers employed for five consecutive years.

Looking ahead, Zhang said the ministry will accelerate agricultural and rural modernization and advance rural revitalization, with efforts focused on stabilizing grain and key agricultural product supplies, strengthening agricultural sci-tech innovation and technology application, raising farmers' incomes, improving rural living environments, and preventing large-scale poverty relapse.

Rural reforms will also be promoted to unleash more development momentum, such as expanding pilot programs to extend rural land contract terms for another 30 years.