Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that China's summer grain output reached 301.49 billion jin in 2026, an increase of 2.0 billion jin from the previous year and the first time exceeding the 300-billion-jin mark. The per-mu yield of 757.6 jin also hit a record high. Among the 25 summer grain producing regions, 22 achieved higher output.

The output was achieved despite severe challenges at planting. Last autumn and winter, the main wheat areas in the Huang-Huai-Hai region were hit by historically rare autumn floods and continuous rain, causing widespread waterlogging and delaying winter wheat sowing. The proportion of late sowing reached 44.2%. In Zhaoling District of Luohe, Henan, sowing was delayed by 40 days, and in Dezhou, Shandong, planting only began in November, leaving the seedlings sparse and weak before winter.

To reverse the situation, the main producing areas adopted the "four compensations and one promotion" technique: compensating with suitable varieties, higher density, better quality seeds, and increased fertilization, while promoting seedling transformation. In Xiangyang, Hubei, growers planted sprouting-resistant varieties such as "Kenmai 58" and "Emai 30," which showed a sprouting rate of only about 20% during continuous rain at harvest, saving around 200 yuan per mu.

Agricultural technicians provided on-the-ground guidance. Zhaoling District integrated 470,000 yuan of higher-level disaster prevention funds and 350,000 yuan of district-level funds to distribute pesticides and fertilizers, and promoted field management techniques through online channels. As a result, while the average number of ears per mu slightly decreased to 415,200, the number of grains per ear increased to 39.21, and the average yield reached 1,176 jin per mu, basically unchanged from last year.

Cross-regional mechanized harvesting ensured timely operations. During this year's "three-summer" period, over 17 million units of agricultural machinery were deployed nationwide, more than 200,000 cross-regional operation permits were issued, over 3,400 service stations, more than 4,800 expressway green channels for farm machinery, over 1,260 service hotlines, and more than 5,800 priority fuel channels were set up.

Cheng Guoqiang, professor at Renmin University of China and director of the National Food Security Strategy Research Institute, said that to achieve the target of around 1.45 trillion jin of total grain production capacity during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, it is necessary to drive grain production toward innovation-driven growth through new quality productive forces in agriculture. The first-time breakthrough of 300 billion jin of summer grain lays a solid foundation for stabilizing annual grain output and supports economic stability amid a complex international situation.