Agricultural experts examine wheat in Nanyang, Henan Province, central China, on May 20 (XINHUA)

Drought and floods did not affect this year's grain production, which remains stable and positive, according to a Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs officer. There will be a bumper harvest if no major disasters occur for the rest of the year.

China's agricultural production has reached a historically high level with 1.3 trillion tons of grain produced for five consecutive years. Today, the Chinese people's per-capita grain supply is more than 470 kg, besides a guaranteed supply of meat, eggs, vegetables and fish.

China has set a minimum purchase price for wheat and rice since 2004, meaning the government will buy grain from farmers at the state-set price if the market price drops below it. Thanks to the policy, by the end of 2019, wheat, corn and rice inventories exceeded 280 million tons, which ensures complete self-sufficiency as the average annual consumption of grain hovers above 200 million tons. The early rice and summer grain will replenish the stock and stabilize prices.

However, from a long-term perspective, challenges to food security remain. In the course of industrialization and urbanization, some farmland will be occupied. So it is necessary to follow a food crop production strategy based on farmland management and application of technology. That is a significant way to increase grain yield, reduce production cost and improve agricultural efficiency.

Incentives should be designed for farmers. In the new era, they should be equipped with advanced knowledge and business modes.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Economic Daily on August 31