Red Star News:

Henan's annual grain output has remained above 130 billion jin, or 65 billion kilograms, for several consecutive years, accounting for a significant portion of the country's total. What will Henan do to maintain its advantage?

Wang Kai:

Thanks for your question; I will address it. Henan is known as the "granary of the Central Plains ," meaning the province's harvests could guarantee the whole country's grain supply. This season, you can see endless wheat fields along the roads when traveling through Henan by high-speed railway. Whenever I see such a scene, I feel immense gratitude toward this land and its people. Covering one-sixteenth of China's farmland, Henan produces nearly one-tenth of the country's grain and one-quarter of its wheat. Grain production is Henan's trump card, which we cannot and will not lose under any circumstances. To maintain our advantage, we must integrate the use of fertile farmland, good varieties, advanced machinery, and suitable methods.

First, an increase in grain production relies on fertile farmland. Work should be focused on turning farmland into modern fertile land. In 2022, besides over 850 billion mu (about 57 billion hectares) of high-standard farmlands, we established a demonstration zone with 150 billion mu of high-standard farmlands, investing an average of 4,000 yuan per mu in line with the principles of standardization, modernization, intellectualization, large-scale operation, normalization, and environmental protection. Upon completion, grain yield per mu will increase by 220 jin, worth an additional 330 yuan. Meanwhile, the yield of the entire zone will increase by 3.3 billion jin with an added value of 4.9 billion yuan. Henan's grain output in 2022 reached 136 billion jin and is expected to increase by 10 billion jin, aiming for at least 140 billion jin by 2025.

Second, the increase in grain production relies on good varieties. Farmers always say that "all your endeavors will come in vain without good varieties." Henan vigorously initiated a campaign to revitalize the seed industry and became the top province with the most selected varieties in the national list in 2023, holding 12 leading varieties. At present, more than 97% of Henan's farmland is sown with improved varieties , contributing over 45% to the increase in grain output. The annual output of wheat seeds reached 3.6 billion jin, accounting for 38% of the country's total. The province also maintains a nationwide leading edge in the sectors of corn, peanuts and sesame breeds.

Third, the increase in grain production relies on advanced equipment. Currently, Henan has 3.19 million tractors and 7.28 million pieces of supporting agricultural machinery and tools, ranking first in the country. The entire process of wheat and corn production is essentially mechanized.

Fourth, the increase in grain production relies on suitable methods. To ensure high yield, efforts should be made to apply good methods, besides using good varieties. In 2023, Henan carried out a batch of technical models, such as reasonable plant density for corn production, the integration of water and fertilizer, and multi-functional pesticide spraying. As a result, the per unit yield of many high-yield corn demonstration zones in the province exceeded 2,000 jin. The yield per mu increased by an average of 25 jin, and the total yield increased by 1.96 billion jin.

In conclusion, the key to fully leveraging the above-mentioned four advantages is to protect and mobilize farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain. We will consistently make efforts to reinforce agriculture and benefit farmers, enabling grain growers to earn higher incomes and embrace a brighter future. Thank you.