According to the agricultural situation dispatch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as of October 22, the national autumn grain harvest has reached 81.3%, and the autumn grain harvest has reached its peak. On the 23rd, at the press conference on the operation of agriculture and rural economy in the first three quarters of 2023 held by the State Council Information Office, Pan Wenbo, Director of the Department of Planting Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that based on expert field measurements and actual harvests in various regions, the vast majority of provinces in China are showing a trend of increasing production. Some provinces have reduced production due to disasters, but the number of provinces that have increased production is significantly higher than the number of provinces that have reduced production. This year's autumn grain production is considered to be an increase in production. The increase in autumn grain production is due to various factors such as increased planting area, the initial effect of improving yield in large areas, and favorable weather conditions for agricultural production. The increase in autumn grain area has laid the foundation for increasing production. This year's autumn grain area has increased for the fourth consecutive year, "Pan Wenbo said. Taking high-yield crop corn as an example, the planting area is expected to increase by more than 13 million acres this year. According to agricultural scheduling, it is expected that the autumn grain area this year will reach 1.31 billion mu, an increase of over 7 million mu compared to the previous year. The effect of increasing yield on a large area is initially evident, which is the key to increasing autumn grain yield. Summarizing the experience of grain production in recent years, the space for increasing the area is becoming smaller and smaller, but there is great potential for improving the yield per unit area. "In Pan Wenbo's view, internationally, compared to major producing countries, there is still a significant gap in China's corn and soybean yield per unit area. In China, there is also a difference in yield per unit area in the same ecological area, and there is a greater gap between the yield of expert experimental fields and that of farmers' fields. Gap is potential, gap is the direction of work efforts. According to reports, at the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched a large-scale increase in the yield of major crops such as grain and oil. This year, we will focus on promoting the improvement of unit yield through the integration of 200 major corn counties and 100 major soybean counties. We will identify gaps in the entire process of cultivation, crop management, and fertilizer application, and come up with comprehensive solutions. "Pan Wenbo said that this year, we will focus on the issue of planting density of corn and soybeans, Firstly, we will select and breed density resistant varieties with high-performance seeders. Through precise water and fertilizer regulation, timely disease and pest control will be carried out. In addition, the large-scale implementation of the "one spray multiple promotion" policy for autumn grain in the middle and later stages, coupled with the support and promotion of this measure by the central government of 2.4 billion yuan, has significantly improved the yield per unit area. The abundant harvest of grain is a comprehensive result of people's hard work and help. The weather this year is generally helpful. "In Pan Wenbo's view, although local disasters are severe, most of the main production areas have moderate rainfall and sufficient light and heat, which is conducive to crop growth and development, as well as yield formation. This year's grain production has been affected by rare "rotten rain" in the Huanghuai region, severe floods in the northeast of North China, and local droughts in the northwest. Can the annual grain production target of 1.3 trillion pounds be achieved? From the current situation, it can be seen that the increase in autumn grain production can fully achieve the goal of 'supplementing summer with autumn'. Based on the three seasons of summer grain, early rice, and autumn grain, the annual grain yield is expected to reach a new historical high, and the expected goal of maintaining a grain yield of over 1.3 trillion kilograms can be achieved. "Pan Wenbo said that in recent years, China has had consecutive abundant grain harvests, relatively abundant inventory, and sufficient guarantees for stable and safe food supply. Reporter: Li Dong (Xinhua News Agency)