A bumper summer grain harvest is expected again this year, as the busy "three summers" season is in full swing
At present, we have entered the busy “three summers” season. How are the summer grain prospects? This year's summer grain area has increased slightly and steadily, reaching 415 million mu, an increase of more than 1 million mu over last year. Yield per unit area is expected to rise. Based on field surveys and analysis by experts, the three factors making up wheat yield are: the number of ears per mu has increased, the number of grains per ear is flat to slightly up, and the 1000-grain weight is expected to decline slightly, so an increase in yield per unit area is expected to be achieved. The high-yield trend is obvious in the main producing provinces. Main producing provinces report that wheat stands are adequate and individual plants are robust, and in particular dryland wheat is growing better than in previous years. In addition, several rounds of widespread rainfall occurred in the northern winter wheat region in April, which helped form large ears with many grains.
Where does the bumper harvest come from? On the basis of last year's sharp increase in summer grain output, it is truly not easy for summer grain to hold its output steady this year, and it is the result of many factors working in the same direction.
Strong action-driven momentum. Agricultural departments firmly upheld the goal of stabilizing grain output and increasing incomes without wavering, never slackened in carrying out wheat production, arranged and deployed work early, and linked every step together to ensure implementation. At the same time, they strengthened information guidance, guided farmers in arranging their planting structure, and stabilized the summer grain area.
Policies were implemented in place. This year the state will continue to implement the minimum purchase price for wheat and will announce it early before the autumn and winter planting season. The central government allocated 1.5 billion yuan in subsidy funds for the wheat “one spray, three preventions” program to support summer grain production. Localities also actively raised funds to increase investment in summer grain production.
The role of science and technology stood out. They continued to do a good job of technical guidance at important stages, and at key farming times and moments of major weather change, organized experts to formulate and issue 7 technical guidance opinions and implement key technologies by region. They vigorously carried out high-yield grain creation and green yield-increase model research, promoting balanced yield increases over large areas.
Disaster prevention and mitigation were effective. Localities promoted key disaster-avoidance technologies suited to local conditions, such as deep loosening and soil preparation, post-sowing compaction, and irrigation with overwintering water. In response to the high pest and disease base caused by last year's warm winter, they moved the threshold forward and lowered the base level of pathogen sources. In particular, in response to the excessive rain in the Jianghuai region in mid-to-late April and the high risk of fusarium head blight, they strengthened pest and disease monitoring, carried out spraying and prevention operations in a timely manner, vigorously carried out unified prevention and control, and resolutely curbed the spread of pests and diseases. They earnestly implemented the “one spray, three preventions” policy to effectively guard against dry hot winds, premature senescence, and pests and diseases.
Meteorological conditions were generally favorable. Main producing areas report that this year's meteorological conditions during the summer grain growing period were among the better ones of recent years, and the three rains of “August, October, and March” basically arrived as needed, which was conducive to wheat growth and development and yield formation.
In this year's “three summers” cross-regional agricultural machinery operations, the Ministry of Agriculture required competent agricultural mechanization departments at all levels to strengthen organizational leadership and strive to achieve the two “steady with slight increases” goals: First, the total number of machines put into use should be steady with a slight increase. Across the country, 550,000 rice and wheat combine harvesters were put into “three summers” production, an increase of 20,000 over last year, of which more than 300,000 were stably engaged in cross-regional operations. Second, the level of agricultural machinery operations should be steady with a slight increase. The national mechanical harvest level for winter wheat exceeded 92%, with the main Huang-Huai-Hai producing area stable at above 96%; the national mechanical sowing level for summer corn reached 85%, both up 1 percentage point from last year.
A bumper summer grain harvest is expected again this year, gaining the initiative for stabilizing grain output and increasing incomes. Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said that guidance and services must be strengthened, key technologies implemented, and full efforts made to carry out “three summers” production, striving to achieve a bountiful summer grain harvest while laying the foundation for a bumper autumn grain harvest.