China’s grain output set a new record in 2020 with a yearly growth of 0.9 percent despite the coronavirus-related impacts to the general economy, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
Last year, China produced 669.49 million tons of grain, up 5.65 million tons, or 0.9 percent compared with 2019. Wheat output also increased by 0.5 percent, soybean production edged up 8.3 percent, and rice output grew by 1.1 percent, the NBS data showed.
Meat output also recovered at a relatively fast pace, with beef production rising by 0.8 percent to 6.72 million tons, while the output of lamb rose by one percent to 4.92 million tons.
Pork output decreased by 3.3 percent year-on-year to 41.13 million tons in 2020. However, the quantity of live hogs and sows that could farrow increased by 31 percent and 35.1 percent, respectively, at the end of 2020 compared with the corresponding period during the previous year.
The growth in grain and meat production demonstrates China’s capabilities to guarantee food supplies even when faced with external uncertainties such as the China-US trade dispute, which made Chinese imports of US agricultural products unreliable, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
China’s economy recovered steadily in general last year, with notable results achieved in stabilizing employment and ensuring people’s basic needs. In 2020, China’s GDP grew 2.3 percent to 101.6 trillion yuan ($15.68 trillion), the only major economy in the world to record positive economic growth.
