Chinese grain and oilseed output rose again on the year with corn production rising to a record high this year, more than offsetting losses on the wheat side.
Corn production rose to 288.84mn t for crops harvested this year, up by 11.64mn t or 4.2pc from the previous record high of 277.2mn t a year earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statics (NBS) show. The official output figure also surpassed the agriculture and rural affairs ministry's estimate for corn output at 288.23mn t.
Corn acreage rose by 2.7pc on the year to 44.2mn hectares (ha) for the 2023-24 season. Average yields also rose from 6.44 t/ha last year to 6.53 t/ha, largely because of suitable weather conditions during the harvest period despite unseasonably wet weather in early August.
For wheat, overall production fell by 1.13mn t or 0.8pc on the year to 136.59mn t in 2023, with the losses mostly because of rainy weather in Henan province — China's largest wheat producing belt — during the harvest period in late May.
Corn output increases more than offset the wheat losses, which pushed up China's overall grain production — mainly consisting of paddy, wheat and corn — to 641.43mn t this year, up by 8.19mn t or 1.3pc on the year, the NBS said.
China produced 23.84mn t of beans this year, up by 1.4pc from 23.51mn t last year, but the NBS has yet to release detailed output figures for soybean.
