BEIJING — China reaped a bumper grain harvest for the 12th consecutive year in 2015, with grain output up 2.4 percent from one year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Dec 8.

The growth followed a 0.9-percent increase in 2014 and 2.1-percent rise registered in 2013.

Grain output totaled 621.44 million tonnes this year. Yields of major grain crops, including rice, wheat and corn, rose 2.7 percent year-on-year to 572.25 million tonnes, NBS said in a statement.

The government’s supportive policies, application of technology and fewer natural disasters this year contributed to the output rise, Hou Rui, a senior NBS statistician, said.

It was also a result of increasing acreage for grain crops this year amid measures to readjust crop types, Hou said. Some regions, for example, have cut cotton farming so that more land became available for grain crops.

The total size of arable land for grain crops stood at 113.3 million hectares, up 0.5 percent from one year earlier.

Heilongjiang, Henan and Shandong provinces remained the country’s top three grain producers this year.