China makes breakthrough in grain output in 2021-2025 period: minister

China has made a breakthrough in grain output and better ensured its food security during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun on Tuesday.

Han made the remarks at a press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office on the achievements in agricultural and rural development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

"China has better ensured that food supply remains firmly in its own hands for its 1.4 billion people (during the 14th Five-Year Plan period). The country's grain output has reached a new level during the period, with the total grain output exceeding 1.4 trillion jin (700 million tonnes) for the first time in 2024, an increase of 74 billion jin (37 million tonnes) from 2020. Now China's per capita share of grain has reached 500 kilograms, and our country has achieved basic self-sufficiency in cereal grains and absolute grain security, which fully guarantees national food security," said Han.

According to official data, the rise in production has been underpinned by improvements in farmland infrastructure and agricultural technology.

China has developed more than one billion mu (66.7 million hectares) of high-standard farmland. Meanwhile, sci-tech advancement has become a key driver for grain harvest, with its contribution rate rising to 63.2 percent.

Meanwhile, farmers' incomes have grown at a robust pace since 2021, with rural per capita disposable income reaching 23,119 yuan (about 3,255 U.S. dollars) in 2024, according to the press conference.

China's 2024 grain output hit a record high of 706.5 million tonnes, an increase of 1.6 percent from 2023, official data showed.

Before 2024, the country's annual grain output had been above 650 million tonnes for nine consecutive years, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In grain categories, the output of cereals rose 1.7 percent year on year, with rice, wheat and corn all reporting production rises. The output of tubers rose 1.5 percent, the data showed.

Last year's bumper harvest was accompanied by a rise in grain planting areas in the country, which stood at over 119 million hectares, up 0.3 percent year on year. Meanwhile, grain output per unit area also increased 1.3 percent, the data showed.

China makes breakthrough in grain output in 2021-2025 period: minister

Teams competing in the climbing event on Mount Tai in Tai'an City of east China's Shandong Province took the race as a valuable real-world testing ground to evaluate their robots' power, balance and autonomous perception capability.

The inaugural China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Mount Tai Challenge on Monday drew nearly 90 teams. The competition was divided into two main categories of speed races and specialized events, with five events in total for different robot forms, including humanoid, quadruped, and exoskeleton.

Competitors tackled the 3.9-kilometer ancient stone path from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen -- ascending more than 3,100 steps with an elevation gain of nearly 640 meters, while the morning mist and moss added extra layers of difficulty.

A humanoid robot developed by VSISLAB of Shandong University's School of Control Science and Engineering struggled at the start on the rugged terrain.

"At the beginning, there is a very steep section, which narrows to just 18 or 19 centimeters in width at its tightest point. The robot made two attempts to pass it, and it did not fall over," said Li Zhongzheng, a student of the university.

The team successfully finished the race and placed eighth.

The Beijing Lingyi Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, won the quadruped robot speed race. Its robots completed the demanding climb with a steady, mechanical ascent over uneven steps, stone ridges and narrow mountain paths.

"We have four robotic dogs in the competition. They secured both the first and second place in the racing event, as well as the second place in the weight-carrying event," said Chen Xiyun, leader of the Beijing Lingyi Technology Team.

For many participants, the event provided a rare opportunity to test their models in real-world scenarios, enabling products to improve more quickly than through laboratory trials alone.

"From a technical standpoint, there are many goals for us to pursue. I hope our team can continue to climb higher, step by step, just as the robots did during this competition," said Wang Jian, engineer of the Norinco Intelligent Innovation Research Institute (Shenzhen) Company.

Robots test their limits at Mount Tai climbing competition