China published official data on the harvest of 2017. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the harvest amounted to almost 618 million tons and exceeded last year's figure by 3%. In absolute terms, grain was harvested by 1.66 million tons more than a year ago. It is noted that this year the second largest crop in the country's history was collected.
According to the Xinhua news agency, the results indicate that the yield increased by 1%, as the grain area was reduced by 815 thousand hectares. Also, the areas allocated for corn cultivation were reduced, since the country's corn reserves were too large. Instead, more land was allocated for growing soybeans.
As noted by many Chinese and foreign experts, the reforms indicate the beginning of a new era in China's agriculture. The threat of hunger is no longer there, so the country can afford to think about the quality of food, the state of the environment, and the quality of agricultural land.
In the fall of this year, the State Council of China issued instructions on the acceleration of the structural reform, which is also called the production and marketing reform. By 2020, the production of high quality grain should grow by 10 percentage points. The added value in the industry should grow by 7% per year, and the level of grain processing is 88%.
Source: Krestyanskie Vedomosti.
