China's early-season rice yield stood at around 28.17 billion kilograms this year, exceeding the threshold of 28 billion kilograms for four consecutive years, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Friday.
The output dropped by 0.6 percent year on year, primarily due to heavy rain and flooding in the country's leading grain-producing regions since April, the NBS explained.
The NBS also noted that the sown areas for China's early-season rice remained largely stable. The early-season rice planting area nationwide was 71.322 million mu (around 4.75 million hectares) this year, up 0.5 percent compared to the previous year.
China's early rice output exceeds threshold of 28 billion kgs for four consecutive years
East China's Anhui Province has rolled out an array of targeted measures to support foreign trade companies in coping with external challenges and accelerating their pivot to the domestic market.
To help exporters quickly gain a foothold in the home market, Anhui has led the creation of regional business alliances and organized matchmaking events to connect foreign trade firms with domestic buyers.
Local authorities are also leveraging digital platforms to fast-track market entry, introducing initiatives like live-streaming sales at factories to bridge supply and demand more efficiently.
In one supermarket in the provincial capital Hefei, a special sales zone for quality export goods has become a hit with shoppers. The supermarket chain behind the zone has launched eight such sections across Hefei and established partnerships with over 30 companies.
In Chuzhou City, officials are building databases of export-oriented firms and their products to drive efficient matchmaking.
A combined online and offline promotional push has helped unlock 1 billion yuan (more than 138 million U.S. dollars) in domestic demand so far this year.
"Our inventory of export products for the domestic market are from 375 companies. So far, over 250,000 home appliance transactions have been completed in Chuzhou, with appliance retail sales up 53.5 percent in the first quarter year on year, driving a 6.3-percent rise in total retail sales," said Guan Guisheng, deputy director of Chuzhou's Municipal Commerce Bureau.
While helping exporters tap into local demand, Anhui is also assisting them in their market diversification strategies.
With the summer months arriving, one air conditioner manufacturer in Chuzhou is receiving on-site visits from buyers from Brazil who are exploring deeper cooperation.
"We can see all the technology that they make their conditioner and all the things from house that they have," said Sophia, a Brazilian buyer.
Backed by the local commerce department, the company has gained traction in emerging markets such as South America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, through major expos like the Canton Fair, and online and offline retail partnerships.
Capitalizing on government subsidies for home appliances trade-in programs, the company has been able to redirect part of its production to meet growing domestic demand.
Currently, nine production lines of the company are operating at full capacity, with over 10,000 air conditioners being shipped to customers across China and over 30 countries and regions worldwide daily.
Anhui helps local exporters pivot to domestic market
