China's agriculture and rural economy maintained stable growth in the first half of 2025, with a bumper harvest of summer grain, the steady income increase for farmers, and a stable situation in rural areas, Maierdan Mugaiti, vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said at a press briefing on Thursday.
"We have overcome severe drought in some area and achieved a bumper harvest of the summer grain production, laying a solid foundation for the stable grain output for the year. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the country's summer grain output reached 149.74 billion kilograms, the second-highest yield in history, just behind last year's record. The harvest of the early-season rice is about 60 percent complete, and a good harvest is in sight. The planting acreage of autumn grain is expected to increase slightly, with healthy crop conditions reported. Summer oilseed crops have seen increases in acreage, yield, and total output," said Mugaiti.
The official also said that the supply of fruits and vegetables remained sufficient and diverse in the first half of the year, ensuring stable prices.
The income of rural residents continued to rise, said the official.
"In the first half of this year, the per capita disposable income for rural residents reached 11,936 yuan (about 1.662 U.S. dollars), up 6.2 percent after adjusting for price factors, outpacing the urban income growth. Fixed-asset investment in the primary industry rose 6.5 percent from the previous year, and rural retail sales climbed 4.9 percent, totaling 3.24 trillion yuan (about 450 billion U.S. dollars)," said Mugaiti.
The achievements in poverty alleviation continued to be consolidated and expanded, with 32.833 million rural laborers from households newly lifted out of poverty employed nationwide by the end of June.
Continued efforts have been made to deepen rural reforms in the first half of this year, with the second round of land contract extensions expanding to seven provinces, the oversight of rural collective assets improved, and the added value of agricultural products processing industry above the designated size increasing by 7.5 percent year on year.
The rural tourism, including local cuisine and scenic spots in the countryside, became a popular vacation choice, and infrastructure and living conditions in rural areas continued to improve, reinforcing China's long-term rural revitalization strategy, according to the official.
China's agriculture, rural economy maintain stable growth in first half of 2025: official
