Agricultural science and technology key to China's bumper harvest: CPPCC member

Agricultural science and technology, a key to China's sustained bumper harvest, now contributes more than 64 percent to agricultural production growth, Huang Sanwen, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said in Beijing on Wednesday.

"China's grain output reached 1.43 trillion jin (715 billion kilograms) in 2025, up 90.75 billion jin (about 45.37 billion kilograms) compared with five years ago. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of the increase came from higher yields per unit area. In other words, the key to China's sustained bumper harvest lies in agricultural science and technology," Huang, also the head of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said at a group interview ahead of the opening of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

The Communist Party of China Central Committee has always treated feeding the country's 1.4 billion people as a top priority in governance, said the CPPCC member. "During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), major science and technology initiatives and programs such as seed industry revitalization and efforts to address weaknesses in agricultural machinery were accelerated, with breakthroughs made in fundamental theories, key technologies, and a range of advanced and practical technologies and products applied in the fields. Science and technology now contributes more than 64 percent to agricultural production growth," Huang said. "At present, more than 95 percent of farmland is planted with domestically bred crop varieties. The market share of domestically developed seeds stands at 91 percent for vegetables, 80 percent for livestock and poultry, and 86 percent for aquatic products. In other words, China's grain, vegetables and meat are now mainly produced using Chinese-developed seeds," he said. Huang also said that the comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting and harvesting has reached 76.7 percent, with drones having become new farm tools, making agricultural production easier and more efficient.

The fourth annual session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, China's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday in Beijing.

Agricultural science and technology key to China's bumper harvest: CPPCC member

China's general public budget revenue reached 6.16 trillion yuan (about 897 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, up 2.4 percent year on year, marking the fastest growth for the same period in three years, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

The central government collected about 2.5 trillion yuan in fiscal revenue during the period, up 2.7 percent year on year, while local governments collected 3.66 trillion yuan, up 2.1 percent.

"In the first quarter, the growth rate of China's general public budget revenue was 1.7 percentage points higher than in the first two months of the year and also outperformed the levels seen in the same period over the past three years. This reflects a strong and good start of China's economy in the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030)," said Wang Jianxun, director of the ministry’s Treasury Payment Center.

Tax revenue during the period totaled 4.85 trillion yuan, up 2.2 percent, while non-tax revenue rose 2.9 percent to 1.31 trillion yuan.

"Domestic value-added tax (VAT) revenue rose 4.9 percent year on year, driven mainly by growth in the industrial and service sectors and a narrowing decline in the producer prices. Revenue from VAT and excise tax on imports increased by 12.9 percent, reflecting a strong start in foreign trade. Revenue from stamp duty on securities transactions surged 78.1 percent, fueled by active stock market trading and higher turnover. Export rebates for VAT and excise tax reached 791.1 billion yuan, an increase of 36.2 billion yuan, or 4.8 percent, providing solid support for export growth," said Wang.

On the spending side, China's fiscal expenditure expanded 2.6 percent year on year to 7.47 trillion yuan in the first quarter, with the budget execution pace hitting a five-year high.

"Health care expenditure increased by 12.1 percent, mainly due to the centralized distribution of childcare subsidies and increased subsidies for the basic medical insurance fund. Social security and employment spending rose by 9 percent. Expenditure on urban and rural communities grew by 2.8 percent, while spending on housing support increased by 6.3 percent," said Wang.

China's Q1 general public budget revenue growth hits three-year high