China produced a total of 700 million tons of grain in 2024, reaching a historic high, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday.
The milestone follows China's first grain output of 650 million tons in 2015.
One reason for the impressive number is China's commitment to developing high-standard farmland. The country has over 1 billion mu (about 66.67 million hectares) of high-standard farmland currently, up from less than 400 million mu a decade ago.
The yield from high-standard farmland can increase by up to 100 kilograms per mu compared to that of common land.
Now, high-standard farmland comprises more than 52 percent of the total cultivated land in the country, providing a strong foundation for increased grain production.
Another reason is China's efforts to enhance the variety and quality of seeds.
Over the past decade, China has promoted a total of 753 regionally adaptive dominant varieties across the country, with the contribution rate of improved seeds to increased production exceeding 45 percent.
Various regions in China have adjusted their planting structure and expanded the area dedicated to high-yield corn crops, especially by promoting farming techniques such as dense planting, with some regions increasing the number of plants per mu by 300 to 400.
In addition, regions have also identified counties focusing on overall yield improvement, allowing them to take the lead in promoting integrated technologies.
"This year, the wheat yield in counties focusing on overall yield improvement has increased by about 5.1 percent compared to last year, leading to an average increase of around 10 kilograms per mu in wheat production," said Han Yijun, a chief scientist of industrial economics of the China Agriculture Research System (CARS).
China's policies for benefiting farmers have also played a significant role in the growth of grain output. This year, the country has enhanced its support for grain production, providing full cost insurance and planting income insurance for the three major staple grains. It has also raised the minimum purchase prices for wheat and early indica rice, effectively boosting farmers' enthusiasm for grain production.
In addition, the country is also cultivating new types of agribusiness, with nearly 4 million family farms and over 2.2 million farmers' cooperatives established.
China produces 700 mln tons of grain in 2024: data
China is accelerating the commercialization of marine scientific and technological achievements and fostering new quality productive forces by boosting support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the marine sector, with a focus on investment and financing to drive industry growth.
The development of marine industries is marked by substantial investments, high risks, and slow returns. However, with strong national support, some companies, such as Zhejiang Startest Marine Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in east China, have achieved notable success.
The company is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in the independent research and development of underwater sonar detection equipment and underwater information data systems.
It now holds more than 210 intellectual property rights for its designs.
"We are now fully capable of replacing similar foreign imported products with our own ones, thereby overcoming the bottleneck in production caused by foreign product embargoes," said Su Xiaoyang, president of Zhejiang Startest Marine Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
While some marine SMEs, such as Shenzhen HiCloud Data Center Technology Co., Ltd., China's first underwater data center equipment and service provider, have mastered core technologies, a gap remains compared to international standards. As a result, continuous investment is necessary for them to overcome critical technological challenges.
"The Underwater Data Center Pilot Project is a new infrastructure initiative requiring a significant initial investment and scale effects. However, both users and investors in the market still lack a comprehensive understanding of the project's strategic significance, including the technical risks associated with emerging technologies," said Pu Ding, general manager of the Underwater Data Center Pilot Project in Hainan under Shenzhen HiCloud Data Center Technology Co., Ltd.
To address the challenges faced by marine SMEs in securing investment and financing, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), along with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, has organized a series of roadshows since 2016. Over 200 marine SMEs and innovation teams have participated, securing more than 3 billion yuan (around 409.8 million U.S. dollars) in financing.
In addition to these efforts, the MNR, in collaboration with the Shanghai Stock Exchange, launched China Ocean Economy Stock Price Index in 2024, covering 20 marine and related industries.
"This is the first domestic comprehensive index in the marine sector, covering all the markets of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hong Kong. It provides timely insights into the operational performance of listed companies in the marine industry and plays an important role in promoting the efficient allocation of financial capital to the marine real economy," said Feng Lei, deputy director of the Ocean Strategic Planning and Economic Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Small marine firms accelerate commercialization of sci-tech achievements under greater policy support
