China food security: bumper grain harvest defies year full of challenges, and it could affect global food prices

Record grain yield comes despite delayed plantings, heatwaves and prolonged zero-Covid disruptions

China appears to be reaping the rewards of policymakers making food security an urgent priority in the face of ‘unprecedented’ problems

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China is prioritising food security to feed its people, and farmers were given a one-off subsidy this year to incentivise them to grow rice (pictured), corn and soybeans. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:30pm, 12 Dec 2022

Amid rising food-security concerns, China’s grain production has shrugged off devastating droughts, floods and a cornucopia of zero-Covid hurdles this year to register another bumper harvest, according to official figures.

Grain output reached a record high of 686.53 million tonnes this year, up 0.5 per cent over 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday.

It also marked the eighth straight year that China – the world’s top crop producer and a major exporter – has maintained an annual grain output above 650 million tonnes, as Beijing has stepped up efforts to bolster food security against the backdrop of a looming global food crisis.

A bumper harvest, especially of wheat and rice, is also crucial for China to keep inflation in check, and it could also help suppress rising global food prices.

The record crop yield manifested despite delayed wheat planting last winter, disruptions from Covid-19 outbreaks and environmental woes this year, according to Wang Guirong, a director at the NBS.

In February, Chinese policymakers sounded the alarm about “unprecedented” challenges facing the nation’s food security this year, while prioritising domestic grain production and soybean self-sufficiency in its annual blueprint for rural policies.

Ten months later, Wang says the bumper harvest provides “strong support” in stabilising the economy.