(Yicai Global) Oct. 20 -- China’s annual grain production is expected to set a new record high this year, exceeding 650 million tons for a 7th year in a row, despite the impact of natural disasters in some areas, according to a farm ministry official.

Crop yields will definitely increase this fall, Pan Wenbo, director of the department of crop production at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said at a press conference today.

He gave three main reasons: a larger area was planted compared with last year; an increase in the cultivation area of high-yield corn has improved the average yield; and China had the lightest overall impact from disasters in nearly 10 years.

Pan further pointed out that although the provinces of Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi suffered severe floods or drought, cutting grain output, yields rose in most of the other major production areas this fall. This was especially so in the four northeastern provinces and regions, where the increase is expected to be relatively large.

But heavy rains in northern regions this fall, especially since late last month, has slowed the harvest in the North China Plain and the country’s northwestern regions compared with previous years, he said.

It has also increased harvest costs in the affected areas, while slowing the planting of winter wheat in these regions. At present, 80 percent of China's fall crop has been harvested, he added.

Pan did not give an estimate for this fall’s crop yield. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s 2020 fall crop was 499 million tons, with an annual total of 669 million tons.

When compiling crop yields, the NBS categorizes crops into three types, namely summer crop, early-season rice and fall crop based on their harvest times. Summer crop mainly includes wheat, while fall crop consists of corn, late-season rice, soybean and tubers. The fall crop accounts for more than 70 percent of the annual total.

China’s summer crop reached a record 145.82 million tons this year, up 2.1 percent from 2020. Total early-season rice yield rose 2.7 percent over the previous year to 28.02 million tons, data released by the NBS earlier this year showed.

Editor: Peter Thomas