BEIJING — China has been improving its capability of ensuring food security over the past decade, with higher annual grain output and stable market operation, an official said on Oct 17.

With a sound food security situation, "China has guaranteed that its food supply remains firmly in its own hands," Cong Liang, head of the State Grain and Reserves Administration, told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

China's grain output has stayed above 650 million tons for seven solid years. In 2021, the figure hit a new high of 682.85 million tons.

As evidence of the capability of ensuring food security, China's farmland totals 128 million hectares, its standard warehouses boast 700 million tons of grain storage capacity, and the number of emergency-responding grain processing enterprises reaches 6,000.

While global food markets were unstable in recent years, China's market has kept sufficient supply and stable operation, effectively meeting people's needs and contributing to healthy economic development and social stability, Cong said, adding that China will continue to be well-positioned for ensuring food security.