China concludes peak autumn grain purchase season

An aerial drone photo shows agricultural machines working in corn fields at a farm of Beidahuang Group in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 12, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's 2024 peak autumn grain purchase season has concluded, having reached a "relatively high level" compared to recent years, according to the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration on Monday.

This peak season in China typically begins in mid-to-late September and ends in late April of the following year. During the most recent season, purchases of autumn grain totaled 345 million tonnes nationwide, data from the administration has revealed.

Autumn grain purchases are vital to China's grain security, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the country's annual grain purchases. Major commodities include rice, corn and soybeans.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer grain purchase season, the administration said it will fully unleash market vitality while increasing procurement efforts to maintain reasonable grain prices.

China saw record grain production in 2024, when its annual output surpassed 700 million tonnes for the first time. According to this year's "No. 1 central document," the country will work to safeguard its grain security, with reform, opening-up, and scientific and technological innovation as the driving forces.

Grain security has long been a central priority for the Chinese government. With under 10 percent of the planet's arable land, China feeds one-fifth of the world's population.