This photo taken on April 12, 2023 shows an agricultural machine dumping soybean grain onto a truck on the Bandeirinha farm in Formosa, Goias, Brazil.(Photo: Xinhua)

The progress of China's national autumn grain harvest in 2023 has reached 77 percent, as reported by China Media Group on Sunday. The harvest of soybeans has nearly finished, and corn has exceeded 80 percent.

Benefiting from well-grown autumn crops, China's overall grain output is estimated to set a new record by the end of 2023. Sheng Laiyun, deputy head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), noted on October 18 that the stable grain output will firmly support the economic recovery.

China produced 146.13 million tons of grains in the summer of 2023, a decline of 0.9 percent year-on-year due to various climate disasters. The total planting area reached 26.61 million hectares, up 0.3 percent year-on-year, realizing an increase for three consecutive years, according to data released by the NBS in July.

Despite the climate impact on summer grain growth, the nation's autumn grain growing status improved, including an increase in planting area and abundant rainfall in Northern China. This may elevate the annual grain output to new heights, as reported by the NBS.

As a vital commercial crop, a report from the Securities Times stated that China was estimated to have 10.42 million hectares of soybean planting area in 2023, an increase of 177,000 hectares over 2022. The output is estimated to reach 21 million tons, an increase of 3.5 percent year-on-year, setting a new record.

Data from China's General Administration of Customs showed that China imported 77.799 million tons of soybeans, a surge of 14.4 percent year-on-year.

Global Times