STORY: Major Chinese agricultural provinces secure grain harvest despite extreme weather

SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage

DATELINE: Oct. 26, 2024

LENGTH: 00:01:42

LOCATION: Beijing

CATEGORY: ECONOMYSHOTLIST:

1. various of harvest sites in China

2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XINGWANG, Vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs

3. various of harvest sites in Heilongjiang

4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SHAO QIAN, Vice head of agriculture and rural affairs bureau of Wudalianchi City, Heilongjiang Province

5. various of harvest sites of soybean

6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LIANG XIN, Official with agriculture and rural affairs bureau of Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province

7. various of field in Yichuan County, Henan Province

8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YUAN HUIJUN, Farmer in Yichuan County, Henan ProvinceSTORYLINE:Harvesting is nearing completion in the major Chinese agricultural provinces of Heilongjiang, Henan and Hunan, with a bumper harvest of grain expected, despite extreme weather that caused multiple natural disasters, harming crop growth.China's grain output is projected to hit a record high of 700 million tonnes this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Friday.The anticipated milestone harvest follows nine consecutive years of maintaining grain output above 650 million tonnes, said Vice Minister Zhang Xingwang in a press conference.SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XINGWANG, Vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs

"China's grain production is going smoothly this year. As of October 24, more than 80 percent of the autumn crops had been harvested, signaling a bumper harvest this year. The autumn grain harvest is well underway. The summer grain and early rice harvests have already been completed. China's grain output is projected to hit a record high of 700 million tonnes this year."Grain output of Heilongjiang, China's top grain producer, reached 77.88 billion kg in 2023, extending its hold on the number-one ranking in China for 14 consecutive years.As of Thursday, Heilongjiang had harvested more than 90 percent of its crops, or 220.9 million mu (about 14.7 million hectares) of planting area, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SHAO QIAN, Vice head of agriculture and rural affairs bureau of Wudalianchi City, Heilongjiang Province

"The corn planting area in our city reaches more than 46,667 hectares this year. The corn harvesting is expected to finish by mid-November."SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LIANG XIN, Official with agriculture and rural affairs bureau of Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province

"The autumn grain harvest is nearing completion in our city. The harvesting of more than 1.33 million hectares of soybeans had been completed by October 14."According to the Hunan provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs, grain production in the province remained sound this year.The harvesting of more than 22 million mu of middle-season rice in Hunan has been completed, with an estimated yield growth of about 1 percent year on year.Harvesting is nearing completion in more than 19 million mu of late rice fields, which can expect a yield increase of 1.5 percent year on year.SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YUAN HUIJUN, Farmer in Yichuan County, Henan Province

"In the past, the harvest depended on the weather. Now, the government has built high-standard farmland, which is installed with special transformers. This year, the harvest of selenium-rich millet per mu (0.06 hectares) is 350 to 400 kg. It's a bumper year."Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.

(XHTV)