BEIJING — China’s summer grain output stood at 141.74 million tons in 2019, up 2.1 percent from last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said July 13.

“The country’s summer grain harvest laid a sound foundation for grain production this year,” NBS senior statistician Huang Bingxin said.

Huang said the harvest would benefit grain supply, stabilize consumer prices and support steady economic growth.

The total area for growing summer crops declined 1.3 percent year-on-year to 26.354 million hectares this year, while the average output from each hectare of crops increased 3.5 percent.

Huang said the planting area dropped mainly due to China’s structural adjustment in the agricultural sector to increase the planting area of high quality crops.

Huang attributed the increase in average output per hectare to favorable weather conditions.