Beijing’s Central Rural Work Conference set 2026 priorities around “high-standard farmland,” better seeds and mechanisation, and stable supplies of grain and edible oils. China’s grain output rose 1.2% in 2025, but the country’s food-security drive continues to run alongside heavy import dependence, especially for oilseeds.
China will prioritise stabilising grain and edible oil production, upgrading crop varieties, and improving quality, according to a state-media readout following the annual Central Rural Work Conference held in Beijing on December 29–30. The meeting—China’s key policy-setting forum for agriculture, rural development and farmers—also reiterated the push to expand “high-standard farmland” and strengthen overall agricultural production capacity through the combined deployment of land, seeds, machinery and farming methods.
The conference pledged to “enhance the capacity for diversified food supply” and promote the high-quality development of high-standard farmland through zoned and categorised planning, according to Xinhua. Beijing also underscored the need to keep lifting farmers’ incomes and support stable employment for migrant workers—framing food security as part of a broader economic and social stability agenda.
The readout also said China will launch province-wide pilot programs to extend rural land-use contracts for another 30 years after current contracts expire around 2027, a policy lever aimed at supporting longer-term investment in productivity, land improvement and mechanisation.
RECORD GRAIN CROP, BUT IMPORT DEPENDENCE PERSISTS
China’s food-security message comes after the National Bureau of Statistics reported 2025 grain output at 714.88 million tonnes, up 1.2% year on year, with cereal production at 660.21 million tonnes. Official data also show grain planting area exceeded 119 million hectares in 2025, while yield per unit area rose 1.1% from the prior year, supporting the record harvest.
However, China remains structurally reliant on overseas supply for key parts of its feed and edible-oil balance. Customs data cited in market reporting show soybean imports reached about 103.79 million tonnes in the first 11 months of 2025 (up 6.9% year on year), with analysts expecting full-year imports to potentially exceed 110 million tonnes.