What’s new: The yields of early-season rice in China rose 3.9% year-on-year to 27.3 million tons despite recent floods in the country’s south, marking the first increase in seven years, data (link in Chinese) from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Wednesday.
The growth was mainly due to an expansion of seeded areas, although some flood-hit regions reported smaller early-season rice yields, the NBS said.
The harvest will support the government’s policy goals, including ensuring people’s livelihoods and the country’s food security.
However, early-season rice accounts for only about 4% of China’s annual grain production, an NBS official said (link in Chinese) last year.
What’s the background: Lately, concerns over food security have mounted amid the floods and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
China is in the throes of one of its most devastating flood seasons in decades. Since June, deluges driven by heavier-than-usual monsoon rains have killed dozens, displaced millions and caused economic losses worth billions of dollars.
Related: Update: State Reserves Buy 18% Less Wheat as Farmers Store More for Higher Price
Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (ziyitang@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
