China launches large-scale summer wheat harvesting with full logistical support

Xinhua News Agency reports that China’s nationwide large-scale mechanised wheat harvesting for the summer grain season has fully commenced. Official data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shows that by 5pm on May 28, harvested wheat areas across the country had reached 48.97 million mu, with daily mechanised harvesting areas exceeding 10 million mu, marking the official launch of this year’s intensive summer harvesting campaign.

The national wheat harvesting progress has approached 20 per cent. Harvest work in southwestern regions and Hubei Province is drawing to a close, while Henan and Anhui have recorded nearly 10 per cent completion. Jiangsu, Shaanxi and other major wheat-producing areas have started phased harvesting operations. Wheat harvesting is highly time-sensitive, as mature grains are prone to shattering and yield loss without timely reaping. Unfavourable weather such as rainfall and wind can also disrupt field operations, creating a tight operational window for summer grain collection.

To complete the concentrated harvesting of over 300 million mu of wheat within more than 20 days, comprehensive pre-season preparations and multi-department coordination have been rolled out. More than 17 million sets of agricultural machinery will be deployed nationwide during this summer farming period, including over 800,000 combine harvesters and more than 200,000 cross-regional operating units. Over 3,100 cross-regional operation service stations have been set up in grain-producing provinces to provide machine operators with operational matching, equipment maintenance and daily service support.

Multiple authorities have jointly optimised summer harvest guarantee services. Transport departments have opened more than 5,500 green channels at highway toll stations, implementing free and rapid passage for cross-regional agricultural machinery and establishing dedicated emergency transport lanes. Meteorological departments provide precise weather forecasting and early warning services to guide efficient and safe field operations.

Local authorities have launched over 6,900 priority refuelling channels with exclusive fuel discounts for farming machinery, expanding mobile refuelling services to rural fields. More than 1,300 service hotlines have been activated to address operational difficulties for farmers and machine operators in a timely manner.

Recent sustained rainfall in major grain-producing areas has caused field waterlogging and crop lodging, posing challenges to harvesting progress. Targeted emergency response measures have been implemented across affected regions. More than 3,300 agricultural machinery socialised service centres, over 2,000 agricultural emergency rescue centres and 5,900 regular emergency operation teams have been mobilised. Over 280,000 crawler harvesters and 70,000 grain dryers have been deployed to ensure timely harvesting and full drying of mature wheat.

Inter-provincial machinery deployment has been activated to seize favourable farming windows. Hubei Province faced a compressed three-day harvesting window due to continuous heavy rain. Agricultural authorities have coordinated emergency machinery support from Henan, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu, enabling round-the-clock operations to complete the harvesting of more than 15 million mu of local wheat fields.

China Meteorological Administration data confirms that the latest round of widespread heavy rainfall in key wheat-producing provinces has subsided. Improved weather conditions in the coming week will support wheat harvesting and sun-drying work. Agricultural authorities will guide regional teams to accelerate harvesting progress amid fine weather, advance summer sowing and field management in a coordinated manner, and consolidate the foundation for stable annual grain output.