BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The annual industrial output value of China's grain industry is expected to exceed 4.5 trillion yuan (666.8 billion U.S. dollars) during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), an official said on Monday.
The grain sector will better meet people's demand for higher-quality, more nutritious and healthier food, said Liu Huanxin, head of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, at a press conference.
China's grain industry has maintained steady growth in recent years, with the total industrial output value of grain enterprises rising from 3 trillion yuan at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) to over 4 trillion yuan at the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
Liu said that despite current fluctuations in the international grain market, China's grain market has remained generally stable and the country's food security is well guaranteed.
Liu pointed to a recent forecast by the World Meteorological Organization, which showed that El Nino will continue to strengthen and could impact global food production. Meanwhile, geopolitical conflicts are disrupting transport routes, driving up fertilizer prices and production costs, and adding to uncertainties around global food security.
He said China's food security is underpinned by stable production, ample reserves and strong processing capacity.
On the production side, China's grain output has been supported by steadily improving production capacity and the country's vast territory, which allows different regions to offset each other's harvest fluctuations, Liu said.
China's annual grain output has stayed above 650 million tonnes since 2015, exceeding 700 million tonnes for the first time in 2024 and reaching 715 million tonnes in 2025. Per capita grain availability has surpassed 500 kg, higher than the global average, providing a solid foundation for the country's food security.
On the reserves side, China's grain stock-to-use ratio remains well above the international grain security threshold of 17 to 18 percent, Liu said. If abnormal market fluctuations occur, reserves can be used to regulate supply and demand and help stabilize the grain market.
China also has strong grain processing capacity. The country has about 24,000 grain processing enterprises engaged in grain and edible oil processing, food and condiment production, feed processing and deep processing, among other businesses. Processing capacity for flour, rice and edible oil is sufficient to meet domestic demand, Liu said. ■
