MK sports Korea 2025 shows farmers operating agricultural machines to carry out field management in Qiaocheng District of Bozhou City, east China's Anhui Province. Farming activities are in full swing across China in early spring. (Photo: Xinhua)" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-02-20/eefbc1eb-2076-47c3-b2c5-5443d4bffd47.jpeg" />

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 18, 2025 shows farmers operating agricultural machines to carry out field management in Qiaocheng District of Bozhou City, east China's Anhui Province. Farming activities are in full swing across China in early spring. (Photo: Xinhua)

China will continue to ramp up the supply of grains and other important agricultural products to safeguard food security, as the "No. 1 central document" stipulated, said Han Wenxiu, an executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, on Monday.

China faces no oversupply of grains, but rather a tight balance of supply and demand, Han said at a State Council Information Office press conference, responding to suggestions that China can relax a bit after years of efforts to increase grain output amid a momentary downturn in prices.

The "No. 1 central document" made it clear that efforts related to grain production can only be strengthened, not relaxed, the official said.

China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2025 on Sunday, outlining priorities to deepen rural reforms and make solid steps to advance all-around rural revitalization.

The document consists of six parts covering six areas: ensuring the supply of grain and other important agricultural products, consolidating the achievements of poverty elimination, developing local industries, advancing rural construction, improving the rural governance system, and optimizing the rural resource allocation system, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Han's comments were made as China has seen grain harvests for multiple years and some agricultural segments such as the dairy industry witnessing drops in product prices due to market supply/demand imbalances.

"In recent years, extreme weather conditions and other natural disasters have occurred more frequently and severely, causing uncertainties to rise. We must focus on achieving a good harvest and resisting disasters, anticipate difficulties in advance, and set a higher safety margin," Han stressed.

"Historical experiences show that it is very difficult to boost grain production in China, but it is relatively easy for it to decline. We must avoid ups and downs in agricultural production due to slackness or negligence," Han noted, adding that in 2025, measures will be taken to raise yields per unit area, stabilize the total area of arable land and introduce more technologies into agricultural production.

Li Guoxiang, a researcher from the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that ensuring grain security is of utmost importance for China, given its large population and the rising likelihood of climate change events.

"In past years, China's achievement in ensuring grain production has positively served the country against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, global climate change and geopolitical conflicts," Li said.

In 2024, the country's output hit a record high of 706.5 million tons, an annual increase of 1.6 percent, reported the Xinhua News Agency in December. 

Last year was the first time that the country registered a grain harvest of over 700 million tons, per data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Previously, China's annual grain output had been above 650 million tons for nine consecutive years.

Sun Chuanwang, a professor at Xiamen University in East China's Fujian Province, told the Global Times on Monday that the central government's authoritative voice on agricultural production not only focused on the real-life issues currently faced by the agricultural sector but also offered insights on the country's grain security strategy over the medium and longer term.

"The market's expectations on further stabilizing agricultural production have intensified and the bottom-line thinking on grain security has been enhanced," Sun said, noting the need to preempt shocks to grain production from internal and external risks.

This year's "No. 1 central document" continues to prioritize ensuring national food security, emphasizing the need to continuously enhance the supply capacity of important agricultural products, firmly grasp the initiative in food security and hold our rice bowls more steadily and firmly, Han stressed.

The country is taking measures to ensure stable grain production while urging market entities to improve the efficiency and profitability of their operations to address some structural issues, Li said.

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs aims to increase grain production by 50 million tons by 2030, which would be a 7 percent increase over 2024's grain harvest, according to a Reuters report on Monday.

The "No. 1 central document" issued on Monday also for the first time underlined new quality productive forces in agriculture, according to the People's Daily, which carries rich meanings, including biological breeding technology, drone technology, artificial intelligence and digital technology, among others.