Over 90 percent of the national summer grain harvest is complete, and stable grain supplies carry profound significance for national security

Another season of bumper grain harvest! At present, over 90 percent of the national summer grain harvest is complete, and a bumper harvest is a foregone conclusion. According to agricultural situation monitoring by the Ministry of Agriculture and actual harvest results from various regions, this year's summer grain is expected to achieve another bumper harvest, with total output hitting a new high.

Grain output has increased year after year, and the pressure grows greater each year, with the situation becoming more difficult each year. In particular, on the basis of eleven consecutive years of grain output increases and last year's large increase in summer grain output, and against the background of already tightly stretched resources and factors of production for grain production and ever-increasing pressure on the carrying capacity of the ecological environment, it is truly not easy to climb from a high point, hold the line at a high level, and achieve another bumper grain harvest. Winter wheat, the main component of summer grain, is an important staple food variety and is crucial to ensuring absolute security of staple food supplies. A bumper summer grain harvest has not only maintained the strong development momentum of our country's agriculture for many consecutive years and safeguarded the bottom line of our country's staple food supply security, but also has special and important significance for the stable and healthy development of our country's economy and the maintenance of social harmony and stability.

From the domestic perspective, a bumper summer grain harvest provides a strong guarantee for calmly responding to various challenges in development. At present, our country's economic development has entered a new normal, with relatively great downward pressure, and many industries are facing unprecedented challenges. However, the basic trend of making progress while maintaining stability has not changed, and many bright spots have emerged. Agriculture is precisely the biggest bright spot, and grain production is the bright spot among bright spots. The greatest significance of a bumper summer grain harvest does not lie in how much output has increased, but in the signal it releases and the confidence it boosts. History has proven countless times that the more difficulties economic development encounters, the more necessary it is to consolidate the foundation of grain production and stabilize grain production as the ballast stone. With grain in hand, the heart does not panic. When grain is stable, people's hearts can be stable. As long as people's stomachs are full, no difficulty can defeat us; as long as we keep our rice bowl firmly in our own hands and have confidence in food security, economic and social development will have confidence.

From the international perspective, a bumper summer grain harvest has made a positive contribution to safeguarding world food supply. This year, global wheat output has decreased somewhat. According to a report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in early May, global wheat output in 2015/16 was 719 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 1.14 percent. Reports from the United States Department of Agriculture and the International Grains Council also show that annual global wheat output will decline somewhat. Against this background, our country's bumper summer grain harvest is undoubtedly good news, greatly reducing pressure on world food supply. Nearly 90 percent of our country's summer grain is wheat, accounting for about 1/6 of total world wheat output. A bumper summer grain harvest has a positive impact on increasing world grain output and stabilizing international market supply. With an increasingly steady yet proactive posture, we are telling the world that China will not threaten world food security, but is an important supporting force for world food security. The more firmly we hold our own rice bowl, the more stable the foundation of world food security can be.

From the perspective of grain production for the whole year, a bumper summer grain harvest has laid a solid foundation for securing a comprehensive grain harvest this year. A bumper summer grain harvest has not only gotten the whole year's grain production off to a good start, but also gained the initiative for achieving the whole year's grain production targets. More importantly, compared with previous years, this year's summer grain production has a better variety structure and a “greener” way of increasing output. “Reducing fertilizer” without reducing output, and soil fertility remaining “ever renewed and strong,” fully prove that the series of new output-increasing methods and production and operation methods we have adopted are effective and feasible. This has accumulated experience, boosted confidence, and inspired drive for this year's autumn grain production.

The summer grain harvest is in hand, but the bulk of the whole year's grain production lies in autumn grain. From the current situation, the area sown to grain in spring is stable, summer sowing is advancing in an orderly manner, and autumn grain production has a good foundation. However, affected by El Nino of moderate or greater intensity, “floods in the south and drought in the north” may occur in summer and autumn. We must muster our energy, redouble our efforts, persist with successful experience, maintain the drive to get things done, base ourselves on overcoming disasters to secure a bumper harvest, make scientific judgments, respond actively, reduce the impact and losses of disasters, and continue working hard to achieve the goal of good harvests in both grain and agriculture for the whole year.