Steps taken to ensure food security(3)

Boosting yields

As part of the plan, the NDRC will designate 720 counties across the nation as "key zones" for advancing the target over the next six years.

They are expected to see the ramping up of efforts to build irrigation facilities and high-standard farmland suitable for large mechanical farming and more resilient to climate change, which some experts believe could also drive investment and help the economy recover from the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initiatives will also be launched to bolster the quality and supply of crop seeds, especially those of better-performing food varieties.

One example is a 15-hectare experimental wheat field located in the Jinzhong National Agriculture High-tech Industries Demonstration Zone in Shanxi province. The field has been planted with Jinzuo 84, a pioneering organic dryland variety of wheat.

Last year, Jinzuo 84 yielded an impressive 12 tons per hectare, surpassing the control group of ordinary varieties, which yielded around 5.25 tons per hectare.

Jinzuo 84 wheat is the outcome of over a decade of breeding efforts by Shanxi Agricultural University. This innovative variety seamlessly combines the exceptional cold resistance of northern wheat varieties with the high productivity of coastal varieties.

Yun Weihua, deputy director of the demonstration zone's management committee, said the variety's ability to yield 12 tons per hectare while using 40 percent less water not only has huge potential to benefit China's food security, but also places with relative food insecurity such as Africa.

"I am confident that these outstanding varieties can be effectively promoted on an international scale," Yun said.

Another example of successfully boosting yields can be found in Dezhou, Shandong province.

Dezhou, situated in the northwestern part of Shandong within the renowned "Golden Wheat Belt", boasts flat terrain, fertile soil and favorable climate conditions.

The city produces about 1 percent of the national annual output of wheat and one-sixth of Shandong's.

As a significant grain-producing hub, Dezhou has been steadfast in its efforts to stabilize total production and enhance productivity.

In 2021, the city embarked on an initiative aiming to achieve a target yield of over 1,500 kilograms per mu (one hectare is 15 mu) within a five-year timeframe.

As of last year, most of its grainfields had reached the target.

"Seeds are the chips of agriculture and key for Shandong to achieve the 1,500-kilogram-per-mu target," said Liu Junsheng, chairman of Shandong Liangxing Seed Industry Co, whose development of high-yield, premium-quality wheat and corn varieties, along with innovative high-yield technologies, has significantly contributed to Dezhou's success.

Among these varieties, Liangxing 77 stands out as Shandong's premier wheat variety, renowned for its suitability for mechanical harvesting.