At present, the purchase of autumn grain across the country has reached its peak. On December 18th, the National Grain and Material Reserve Bureau released data showing that as of now, various types of grain entities in China have cumulatively purchased over 160 million tons of autumn grain, with an average daily purchase volume of more than 2 million tons, and the purchase progress is faster than the same period last year, maintaining the bottom line of farmers' ability to sell their grain. According to data from the National Grain and Material Reserve Bureau, the total amount of autumn grain purchased by various grain entities in China has exceeded 160 million tons, an increase of about 10% year-on-year; The daily acquisition volume exceeds 2 million tons, and the acquisition progress is faster than the same period last year. Looking at different varieties, 70 million tons of mid to late rice were purchased, with Henan, Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, and Anhui provinces having the lowest cumulative purchase price for mid to late rice exceeding 4 million tons, effectively playing a role in policy support. 90 million tons of corn were purchased, with over 50 million tons in the Northeast region. Farmers are selling grain smoothly, enterprises are actively collecting grain, market purchasing and sales are becoming more active, and the overall market operation is stable. Grain needs to be grown well and stored well. In recent years, with the rapid development of modern agriculture, China's grain storage methods have shifted towards refined management. The relevant person in charge of the National Grain and Material Reserve Bureau introduced that since the 14th Five Year Plan, various regions have actively promoted the construction of high standard grain warehouses and the upgrading and renovation of existing warehouses, resulting in significant improvements in key performance such as airtightness and insulation of grain warehouses. As of now, the country has achieved a storage capacity of over 200 million tons for low-temperature and quasi low-temperature grain storage, with a storage capacity of 55 million tons using controlled atmosphere grain storage technology. At present, the comprehensive loss rate during the storage cycle of state-owned grain depots is controlled within 1%. Efforts will be made in various regions to fully leverage the role of post harvest grain service centers, strengthen guidance and services for farmers on scientific grain storage technology, and help reduce losses and increase income for farmers. In the past decade, the loss rate of grain storage by farmers has decreased by about 5 percentage points. In addition, this year the country continues to implement the minimum purchase price policy in the main rice producing areas. China Grain Reserves Corporation has successively launched the implementation plan for the minimum purchase price of mid late rice in eligible areas of Henan, Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, and Anhui provinces. At present, China Grain Reserves Corporation has announced the lowest purchase price for 217 storage points, with a daily storage capacity of over 170000 tons, and the overall purchase is stable and orderly. Various supportive policies have shown remarkable effects. In 2024, China achieved another bumper harvest of grain, with a grain output of 1.41 trillion catties, an increase of 22.18 billion catties or 1.6% compared to the previous year. On the basis of stabilizing at 1.3 trillion catties for nine consecutive years, it has reached a new level of 1.4 trillion catties for the first time. Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics and head of the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the National Economy, stated that various supportive policies have been effective in promoting another bumper harvest in grain production this year. This year, China has introduced a series of policies to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and enrich farmers. It will continue to raise the minimum purchase price for wheat and early indica rice, stabilize policies such as land fertility protection subsidies, subsidies for corn and soybean producers, and rice subsidies, expand the implementation scope of full cost insurance and planting income insurance policies, improve the mechanism for ensuring the supply and price of agricultural materials, improve the mechanism for guaranteeing the income of grain farmers, take multiple measures to increase farmers' enthusiasm for grain planting, and stabilize the planting area of grain. In 2024, the national grain planting area reached 1.79 billion mu, an increase of 0.3% over the previous year, maintaining growth for five consecutive years. At the same time, various regions have implemented the strategy of "storing grain in the ground and storing grain in technology", promoted the construction of high standard farmland and the large-scale increase in yield of major crops such as grain and oil, and promoted technologies such as reasonable densification, integrated water and fertilizer, "one spray, three prevention" and "one spray, multiple promotion", effectively improving the level of grain yield. In addition, the overall meteorological conditions in most agricultural areas this year are favorable, with good coordination of light, water and temperature. By 2024, the national grain yield per mu will reach 394.7 kilograms, an increase of 1.3% over the previous year. The increase in yield contributes more than 80% to the increase in grain production. In terms of implementing the responsibility for grain production, various regions have increased their support for grain production. By 2024, 26 out of 31 provinces (regions, municipalities) in China will increase production, especially in major grain producing areas, which fully reflects the requirement of 'sharing rice bowls and responsibilities together', "said Fu Linghui. How can grain production reach a new high by enhancing the supply guarantee capacity of agricultural products? From the perspective of arable land, the area of grain sowing this year has increased by 5.258 million mu compared to the previous year, and the speed of improving arable land quality has accelerated. The transformation of farmland infrastructure has steadily advanced, and the central government has raised the subsidy standards for high standard farmland construction. From the perspective of agricultural technology, the contribution rate of agricultural technology progress this year has exceeded 63%, and the mechanization development of grain production has reached a new height. The implementation of large-scale yield improvement actions for major crops such as grain and oil has ensured increased grain production, "said Zhong Yu, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Overall, although some areas have experienced severe natural disasters this year, with the joint efforts of the whole country, the annual grain production has achieved another bumper harvest and reached a new level of output, laying a solid foundation for ensuring national food security and promoting comprehensive rural revitalization Fu Linghui said. Recently, the Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing, which made specific arrangements for the work of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in 2025, clarifying the direction for doing a good job in grain production and stabilizing the "Chinese rice bowl". Cheng Guoqiang, a professor of Renmin University of China and president of the National Institute for Food Security Strategy, said that the Central Rural Work Conference required "strict management of the balance between the occupation and compensation of cultivated land, and the establishment of a monitoring system for the use of cultivated land" to help ensure that the total amount of cultivated land does not decrease and the quality does not decrease, resolutely curb the "non-agricultural" of cultivated land, prevent "non-agricultural", and ensure that cultivated land is mainly used for food production. Strong agriculture requires a strong ability to ensure the supply of food and important agricultural products Zhu Juan, Director of the Agricultural Information Department of the Planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that as China's grain production continues to make new breakthroughs, the difficulty of achieving new leaps has also increased. The next step will be to implement a new round of 100 billion kg grain production capacity improvement action, vigorously develop new agricultural productivity, implement the large area per unit area yield improvement action of grain and oil and other major crops, constantly consolidate and improve grain production capacity, and secure the job of more than 1.4 billion Chinese. The relevant person in charge of the National Grain and Material Reserve Bureau stated that they will strengthen the overall organization of grain procurement, conscientiously carry out market-oriented procurement and policy based storage, guide diversified entities to actively enter the market, and enhance market purchasing and sales vitality. (New Society)