Guizhou promotes improved varieties, grain yield per mu increases by nearly 60 percent

Along with the promotion of improved agricultural varieties such as hybrid rice and hybrid corn, Guizhou's per-unit grain yield level has increased substantially. In 2015, Guizhou's average grain yield per mu reached 252.5 kg, an increase of 93.5 kg over 1978, with average yield per mu rising 58.8%; total annual grain output reached 11.8 million tons, a record high.

Known as “eight parts mountain, one part water, one part field,” Guizhou has widely developed karst landforms, with mountains and hills accounting for 92.5% of the province's total area. Of the province's 68.44 million mu of cultivated land, there is much sloping farmland, little flatland in dam areas, much medium- and low-yield farmland, and little high-quality farmland, and crop production conditions are relatively poor. In some areas, one slope is planted in spring and one basket is harvested in autumn, and a very small number of farmers still rely on state relief grain to survive.

Xiao Rongjun, deputy director of the Guizhou Provincial Agricultural Commission, said at the Guizhou Provincial Seed Management Work Conference held recently that the coverage rate of improved crop varieties in Guizhou has reached more than 95%, major crop varieties have generally been replaced 6-7 times, and along with the promotion and application of improved varieties, Guizhou's total grain output has gradually increased. In 2015, total grain output reached 11.8 million tons, the highest output in history.

Xiao Rongjun stated that Guizhou will further strengthen the research and development, cultivation, and promotion of improved agricultural varieties, invest 10 million yuan annually to develop modern seed industry, and persist in taking the path of mountain-characteristic agricultural development, increase support for agriculture and benefits for farmers, and ensure food security.