Across China, farmers are working to ensure a strong harvest as the spring planting season gets underway, a critical effort for the nation’s food security. The push for a successful spring agricultural season comes as the country aims to increase its overall grain production capacity to approximately 1.45 trillion pounds.
March 20th coincided with the “Dragon Raises its Head” festival in the Chinese lunar calendar, a traditional time marking the beginning of spring and agricultural activity.
“A good harvest follows the Dragon’s awakening,” a common saying reflects the importance of this period. Currently, early rice seedlings are being cultivated in southern China, while winter wheat in the north is showing full regrowth, signaling a vibrant start to the growing season.
“Ensuring robust spring plowing and preparation is crucial for guaranteeing a bountiful grain harvest and food security,” President Xi Jinping emphasized. The “15th Five-Year Plan” outlines a goal of reaching a comprehensive grain production capacity of around 1.45 trillion pounds, setting ambitious targets for agricultural output.
With the recent conclusion of the National People’s Congress, Xinhua News Agency reporters traveled across the country to observe the spring planting efforts firsthand, witnessing the collective determination to achieve a successful start to the agricultural year.
Racing Against Time for a Bountiful Harvest
In Anhui province, following a recent rainfall, Li Qingwu, chairman of the Suqiao District Huaihe Planting and Protection Professional Cooperative in Suzhou City, inspected his winter wheat fields. “It’s looking good, particularly strong!” Li exclaimed.
Last autumn, the region experienced prolonged rainfall, delaying winter wheat planting by more than two weeks. As temperatures rose around the Spring Festival, the wheat began to regrow. Li promptly applied a regrowth fertilizer and, more recently, herbicides and foliar fertilizer.
“I was worried at first, but agricultural technicians consistently encouraged me, saying that with proper field management, we could overcome the challenges. Currently, the wheat seedlings are in better condition than they were at the same time last year,” Li told reporters.
Spring plowing and management are directly linked to the yields of summer and autumn harvests. A strong start to the agricultural season is vital for achieving the annual grain production targets.
Throughout March, regions across the country are prioritizing timely field management and spring planting to maximize quality and yield.
On March 20, 2026, villagers operate farm machinery to till rice paddies in Jintiao Town, Qidong County, Hengyang City, Hunan Province (drone photo). Xinhua
Currently, early rice seedling cultivation is at a critical stage. Reporters observed He Xinping, a large-scale grain farmer in Shaping Town, Taoyuan County, Changde City, Hunan Province, tending to nearly 20 acres of concentrated seedling fields. The tender green seedlings swayed gently in the light rain. Nearby, over 400 acres of paddy fields had been freshly tilled, releasing the rich scent of earth.
To avoid delays, He Xinping completed concentrated seedling cultivation before the continuous rainy weather in mid-March. “We expect to begin transplanting in about 20 days, just in time for the most favorable climate for seedling growth,” He Xinping said.
In the northeast, Yuan Hongguang, a grain farmer in Shengli Village, Hemu Lake Town, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, is busy repairing farm machinery and stocking up on fertilizers for spring planting. “This year, I plan to plant more than 9,000 acres of corn,” he said.
In the southwest, a spring plowing ceremony took place on March 16th in agricultural areas of Tibet. As tractors moved forward, women following behind skillfully scattered seeds into the furrows.
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On March 16, 2026, villagers in Jieba Village, Jieba Township, Shannan City, Tibet, dressed in festive attire, sow seeds on newly plowed fields. Xinhua News Agency photo by Jinmei Duo Ji
According to the latest agricultural dispatch from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the sown area of winter wheat in China remains stable, with over 80 percent classified as first and second-class seedlings, an increase of more than 30 percentage points compared to the winter sowing period. Early rice seedling cultivation is approximately 35 percent complete nationwide, slightly ahead of last year, with Hainan exceeding 70 percent, Guangdong and Guangxi over 60 percent, Fujian nearly 50 percent, Hunan over 20 percent, and Jiangxi at 15 percent.
Farmers are not letting the favorable weather conditions pass them by. This spring, reporters observed that regions across the country are actively practicing the concept of “big food view,” enriching the meaning of spring agricultural production.
On March 20, 2026, farmers work in fields in Jiaji Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province. Xinhua
Currently, Guangdong province is in its “Marine Spring Farming Season.” Workers at the Yuhai Seafood Co., Ltd. In Nan’ao County are harvesting greenback flounder stocked in August of last year and cultivating new seedlings.
Spring is similarly a peak season for fruit and vegetable planting. In the Guanzhong Plain, orchard workers are pruning apple trees, while in Yunnan province, vegetable farmers are preparing land for spring and summer vegetable production to ensure a stable supply.
From south to north and east to west, the vibrant picture of spring plowing is unfolding, with diligent farmers sowing the seeds of a bountiful harvest across the vast fields.
Leveraging Technology to Boost Production
“Expanding the application scenarios of drones, the Internet of Things, and robots”—the inclusion of these keywords in this year’s Central Document No. 1 signals a commitment to accelerating the development of new agricultural productivity.
Harnessing the power of science and technology! On the front lines, reporters found that agricultural technology is continuously injecting new momentum into spring plowing.
On March 20, 2026, an operator controls a drone for spring wheat management in Wen County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. Xinhua News Agency photo by Huang Fuxing
At the Yuyao Regional Rice Seedling Cultivation Center in Zhejiang Province, two automated seedling lines are operating at full capacity.
Empty seedling trays move along the line in an orderly manner, with soil precisely added, seeds sown, and then covered and watered in one continuous process. At the end of the line, two intelligent robotic arms flexibly grab 10 trays every 15 seconds, placing them securely in designated areas.
“The core of this equipment is automation and intelligence, completely breaking the efficiency bottleneck of traditional seedling cultivation,” said Yu Junlin, the center’s director. “A single line can process 12,000 trays per day, increasing efficiency by approximately 30 percent compared to traditional methods.”
In Hebei Province, the Wangdu County High-Quality Agricultural Technology Service Cooperative is using multiple plant protection drones to efficiently apply pesticides and fertilizers in its 1,000-acre high-standard farmland, guided by the Beidou navigation system.
The application of new equipment and technologies has improved spring plowing efficiency, and the combination of superior seeds, methods, machinery, and technology is playing a greater role in ensuring spring production.
In early March, Li Chen, a senior agronomist from Zhangwu County, Liaoning Province, traveled from village to village to provide technical guidance to farmers on increasing corn yields.
Located on the southern edge of the Horqin Desert, Zhangwu County historically had low corn yields. In recent years, the region has focused on increasing corn yields, accelerating the selection and promotion of high-yielding varieties, and integrating key technologies such as shallow buried drip irrigation, water-fertilizer integration, and comprehensive pest and disease control to enhance grain production capacity through technological innovation.
In 2025, the corn yield increase project covered 81,000 acres in Zhangwu County, with an average yield of over 1,800 pounds per acre, an increase of approximately 700 pounds per acre compared to ordinary cultivated land, demonstrating a significant demonstration effect.
On March 17, 2026, workers unload fertilizer at the Suihua business department of the Harbin Railway Logistics Center in Heilongjiang Province. Xinhua News Agency photo by Wang Song
“This year, we will continue to work on increasing yields and expand the yield increase project area to more than 100,000 acres,” Li Chen told reporters, adding that he is currently selecting more corn varieties that are disease-resistant and high-yielding, while also promoting the return of manure to the fields and increasing soil organic matter content to achieve comprehensive benefits through fertilization and technology.
In 2025, China’s grain output reached 1.43 trillion pounds, with yield increases accounting for more than 90 percent of the national grain increase.
This year’s government work report proposes in-depth implementation of the seed revitalization action, accelerating the selection and promotion of breakthrough varieties, promoting the research and application of advanced and applicable agricultural machinery and equipment, and clearing the “last mile” of agricultural technology promotion.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated that this year, they will intensify the implementation of the large-scale yield increase action for grain and oil crops, promote the integrated and efficient use of superior fields, superior seeds, superior machinery, and superior methods, and promote large-scale balanced increases in production.
On March 18, 2026, international cargo ships are orderly unloading imported fertilizers at the Zhangjiagang Jinlong Heavy Piece Terminal in Jiangsu Province (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency photo by Zhao Guozheng
Addressing challenges and working together to ensure food security—
Currently, the northeast is entering a critical period of preparation for planting. In the major grain-producing county of Nong’an, Jilin Province, workers are loading bags of fertilizer onto trucks and transporting them to farmer cooperatives at the fertilizer processing plant of the Jilin Qianyi Agricultural Development Professional Cooperative Union.
Every year during the preparation period, the plant can produce approximately 50,000 tons of fertilizer, enough to meet the needs of more than 400 member cooperatives. “This year, we purchased raw materials in advance and increased production to ensure a stable supply to the market,” said Xu Guochen, the union’s director.
On March 17, 2026, a photo taken at the Harbin Railway Logistics Center Suhua Business Department in Heilongjiang Province shows rice seedlings in a nursery. Xinhua News Agency photo by Xu Hongyu
Governments and departments at all levels are working together, taking a series of measures to ensure spring agricultural production.
Financial support is being prioritized—
Last autumn, the Huanghuai Sea region experienced continuous rainfall, delaying winter wheat planting. To actively respond to the situation of late sowing and poor seedling conditions for winter wheat, the Ministry of Finance, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, allocated 1.25 billion yuan of central financial funds to support 11 winter wheat-producing provinces in carrying out measures such as promoting weak seedlings, with appropriate subsidies for additional application of seedling-boosting fertilizers.
As a national policy bank focused on supporting “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers,” the Agricultural Development Bank of China has allocated 180 billion yuan this year to ensure spring plowing funds, with 127.247 billion yuan disbursed as of March 14, accounting for 72.87 percent of the total disbursed last year.
Strengthening policy support to incentivize grain production—
This year’s Central Document No. 1 proposes strengthening price, subsidy, insurance, and other policy support and coordination to improve the income guarantee mechanism for grain farmers; reasonably determine the minimum purchase prices of rice and wheat and improve the target price policy for cotton; and stabilize the implementation of cultivated land protection subsidies, corn and soybean producer subsidies, and rice subsidies.
These strong agricultural and rural policies will effectively motivate farmers to grow grain and stabilize planting areas.
On March 17, 2026, workers are unloading fertilizer at the Harbin Railway Logistics Center Suhua Business Department in Heilongjiang Province. Xinhua News Agency photo by Wang Song
“Grain security is paramount.” Across the fields, farmers and agricultural workers are sowing the seeds of a good harvest, and all parties are working together to promote spring agricultural production and ensure food security for the nation’s 1.4 billion people.
