China on course for record harvest in boost for food security drive

China is on track for a record grain output this year in a boost for its drive to improve food security.

The harvest is expected to exceed 700 million tonnes for the first time this year, after nine straight years of production above 650 million tonnes, agriculture vice-minister Zhang Xingwang said on Friday.

At almost 149 million tonnes, the summer harvest saw its biggest jump in nine years, and the autumn harvest, which accounts for three-quarters of the total, had seen a “noticeable improvement” this year, Zhang said.

China, the world’s biggest crop producer and consumer, has doubled down on food security amid climate change, turbulence in the global market and growing tensions with the United States, which is a major agricultural exporter.

Zhang said severe weather events this year had taken their toll on agriculture, but the effect was “relatively mild” compared with previous years.

This year southern and northeastern China were hit by heavy rainfall and floods while some central regions suffered from drought.