CHINA, the world’s top buyer of soy and corn, will push for higher grain yields across large areas of farmland as it seeks to ensure food security for its huge population, domestic media reported Wednesday, citing an annual rural policy meeting.

China reported a record corn crop this year and bumper harvests of other grains, but the country continues to be concerned with food security, particularly amid rising tensions with trade partners, climate-related disasters and military conflicts.

Record corn production of 289 million metric tons this year was achieved largely thanks to a 2.7% increase in planted acreage, as authorities reclaimed land used for other crops for staple grains.

Speaking at an annual meeting that sets rural policy priorities for the year ahead, policymakers said China will “stabilize” grain sowing area and “promote large-scale increases in grain yields,” Xinhua reported late Wednesday.

It did not outline specific measures to boost yields, but Chinese corn breeders are preparing to plant more than double the amount of genetically modified corn next year than in 2023, as the country slowly introduces a technology that typically lifts yields.

Policymakers also said China should “consolidate the results of soybean expansion,” according to domestic media. China has boosted its domestic soybean production significantly in the last two years by promoting more planting to reduce its reliance on overseas imports.

Policymakers said China should strengthen the protection of arable land, accelerate the revitalization of the seed industry and prioritize building “high-standard” farmland in its bread basket area of the northeast, famous for its fertile black soil, according to domestic media.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that China’s grain output rose 1.3% year on year to a record high of 695.41 million tons in 2023, the ninth consecutive year for China to register a grain harvest of more than 650 million tons.

According to the NBS, the country’s corn output increased 4.2% from 2022, while rice and wheat production decreased 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

The bumper harvest occurred despite the country being hit by a series of bad weather events, including a prolonged rain spell during the harvest period in regions along the Yellow River and Huaihe River, floods in northern and northeastern regions, and drought in northwestern areas. (SD-Agencies)