Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the total output of early rice in 2023 will be 28.337 million tons (56.67 billion jin), an increase of 215,000 tons (430 million jin) over 2022, up 0.8 percent.
The area of early rice was stable and slightly decreased. In 2023, the sown area of early rice in China will be 47,331,000 hectares (70.997,000 mu), a decrease of 219,000 hectares (329,000 mu) over the previous year, down 0.5%.
Wang Guirong, director of the Rural Department of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that all regions have consolidated their responsibility for food production, seriously implemented policies such as national rice subsidies and one-time subsidies for actual grain farmers, and issued relevant support measures to ensure farmers' grain yields, and the sown area of early rice has remained basically stable. However, due to the continuous drought in autumn and winter in southern China last year, the growth period of rapeseed in some "rice and rice oil" producing areas was delayed, and the stubble was tense, which affected the timely transplanting of early rice, and farmers changed to other crops, and the sown area of early rice decreased slightly.
Statistics showed that the yield of early rice increased slightly. In 2023, the national early rice yield per unit area was 5987 kg/ha (399.1 kg/mu), an increase of 72.7 kg/ha (4.8 kg/mu) over the previous year, an increase of 1.2%.
Wang Guirong analyzed that since the sowing of early rice, the water and heat matching in the main producing areas were good, and the meteorological conditions were generally conducive to the growth and development of early rice and the formation of yield. The average temperature of seeding and seedling rearing period was higher than that of the same period of the year, and the seedlings emerged faster and grew well. Low temperature or rainy weather occurred in some rice areas during tillering stage, which delayed the greening of early rice and slowed down the tillering rate. The light and temperature conditions in booting and heading stage were close to the same period of the year in most producing areas, and the weather conditions were favorable to the differentiation of young ears and heading and flowering of early rice. In late June, heavy rainfall occurred in most of Jiangnan and western South China, and early rice in some areas suffered from "rain washing grass flowers", but the overall impact was light. More sunny and less rain in Jiangnan and South China during the filling period is conducive to early rice ripening and sunning. Typhoon Tali slowed down the early rice harvest, but the impact was limited.
"Despite the complex and severe international environment and frequent extreme weather in the world, China has had a good harvest of summer grain and increased early rice production, laying a good foundation for stable grain production throughout the year." Wang Guirong said.
