China's autumn grain harvest reaches 59.8%, supporting food security

The daily harvest area averaged about 2 million hectares for the previous eight days, according to the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs. 

The figures showed the stability of China's grain production, which will guarantee the country's economic development and lay a solid foundation to ensure China's food security, experts said.

By crop, 62.9 percent of maize had been harvested as of Saturday, along with 71.6 percent of soybeans. 

Regionally, more than 70 percent of the crops had been harvested in the North China Plain, as well as in the country's northwestern and southwestern regions, more than 50 percent in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and South China, and more than 40 percent in Northeast China.

Additionally, more than 10 percent of winter wheat had been sown nationwide, maintaining the same pace as last year. More than 30 percent of winter rapeseed had been planted, with progress 2.9 percentage points faster than a year earlier, data from the ministry showed.

"Stable grain production guarantees economic development, while the growth in food consumption among residents reflects an increasing demand for higher quality and more varied supply," Ma Wenfeng, a senior analyst at the Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultancy, told the Global Times on Sunday.