Xinhua

China’s early rice production remained broadly stable in 2026, with the planting area edging up slightly, official data showed Friday.

The early rice output totaled 28.29 million tonnes, staying above 28 million tonnes for the sixth consecutive year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The planting area edged up by 22,000 mu (about 1,467 hectares) from the previous year to 71.164 million mu.

The output fell by 220,000 tonnes, or 0.8 percent year on year, while the average yield dropped 0.8 percent to 397.6 kg per mu, the data showed.

Weather conditions were generally favorable after planting, but persistent heavy rainfall and typhoons later affected production in some major growing areas in southern China, said NBS official Wei Fenghua.

China has stepped up support for grain production this year by maintaining the minimum purchase price for early indica rice and farmland fertility protection subsidies, while increasing support for crop rotation and other measures to stabilize farmers’ planting expectations, Wei said.

Efforts to strengthen grain production capacity have also continued. Over 66.7 million hectares of high-standard farmland have been developed nationwide, and domestically bred crop varieties now account for more than 95 percent of the country’s total planted area.

Stable early rice production, together with an increase in summer grain output, has laid a solid foundation for a bumper grain harvest this year, Wei said.

China’s summer grain output totaled 150.75 million tonnes this year, up 0.7 percent year on year and exceeding 150 million tonnes for the first time, according to previously released NBS data.

Published Date: August 23, 2026